#Royal Naboo Security Forces

[sw5w]

The Airbus Lands

STAR WARS EPISODE II: Attack of the Clones 00:38:43

[swtechspecs]

SoroSuub Corporation Seraph-Class Urban Landspeeder ("Flash Speeder")

Source: The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels (Del Rey, 2003)

[skyguytoast]

ALMOST HERS, ENTIRELY YOURS: AOTC!ANAKIN X PADMÉ'S YOUNGER SISTER!READER

CHAPTER ONE NEXT

SYNOPSIS: Anakin Skywalker has loved Padmé Amidala since he was ten years old — a crush that grew into something deeper over time. But everything shifts when he meets you, her younger sister.

WARNINGS: None yet. Anidala also here, don't if need a warning for them ;)

WORDS: 3.3k

A/N: hii, babes! sooo this little ideia I had while I was listening to “How Bad Do You Want It” by Lady Gaga. hope you enjoy! comments, reblogs & chaos always welcome — and requests are open as always! dividers by @/enchanthings

'𝑪𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒉, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆, '𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆

With attempts on Senator Amidala’s life becoming alarmingly routine, the Jedi Council had ruled that she remain under Jedi protection, not just for her safety, but to ensure the Separatists couldn’t silence her before she brought her motion before the Senate. Padmé Amidala was well-known across the galaxy for her unwavering principles. A fierce advocate for diplomacy, her voice carried weight and those who feared it knew it could shift the tides of war.

The growing tension with the Separatists had stirred chaos on Coruscant. It wouldn’t be long before that chaos would ripple outward, spreading like wildfire across the galaxy. Any hope for truce by democratic means was dwindling, but if there was one voice still strong enough to challenge the storm, it was hers.

Anakin Skywalker could hardly contain the anticipation of seeing her again.

His feelings for the senator hadn’t faded over the years. If anything, time apart had only made them sharper, more vivid, more impossible to ignore. From the moment he first saw her, he believed she was an angel, and nothing he’d learned about her since had proven him wrong. Whether it was in the holonews, Temple rumors, or stories exchanged in quiet corridors, Padmé Amidala’s compassion and courage only made her seem more unreal. More unreachable.

She wasn’t like the others. Not like the hollow politicians he’d overheard growing up. Padmé cared. She saw the galaxy not in star systems and senate seats, but in people, in those who suffered, those forgotten beneath the shining towers of Coruscant’s upper levels. She fought to pull justice upward from the shadows, to remind the Republic of its duty. And that, Anakin thought, made her the only kind of leader worth following.

“I’m sure Senator Amidala hasn’t forgotten about you,” Obi-Wan’s voice cut through the whirl of thoughts in his padawan’s head, calm and amused.

Anakin blinked, heat rushing to his face. He turned away from the elevator’s glass wall, willing the blush not to show. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Master,” he muttered, voice stiff and unconvincing.

Obi-Wan only shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching in a knowing smile. He didn’t need the Force to sense how Anakin practically came undone the second the elevator doors slid open. And there she was.

Senator Amidala stood before them, her presence as composed and radiant as ever. She smiled politely as her eyes landed on Obi-Wan.

“Master Kenobi,” she greeted warmly.

But then her gaze fell on Anakin. And it lingered.

Just long enough for his breath to catch and his pulse to roar in his ears.

“Ani,” she said softly, her eyes warming. “How you’ve grown…”

Anakin scratched the back of his neck, cheeks burning. “You haven’t changed at all,” he blurted, then stumbled on his words. “I mean—you’ve just gotten… prettier.”

Smooth, he thought, cursing himself silently.

But Padmé only smiled, gracious and unbothered by his awkwardness, and motioned for them to sit in the sunken living room of her Coruscant apartment. Captain Typho, the ever-watchful head of Naboo’s royal security, stood nearby with his arms crossed, his lone eye scanning the room with practiced precision. It was clear he was already running through contingency plans, ready to bend reality if that’s what it took to protect the senator.

The conversation was brief, or at least, it felt that way to Anakin. If he was honest, he barely registered the words being exchanged. His mind was far too busy spinning up fantasies where he and Senator Amidala were alone together, in a field of wildflowers, on Naboo, on Coruscant, anywhere she would allow him to exist in her orbit.

By the time it was over, he was already standing beside Obi-Wan, halfway into the elevator, still chasing the imaginary sound of her laugh in his head, when his master reminded him of the arrangement: He would be the one escorting Padmé back to Naboo, where she’d spend time with her family while the Separatist crisis was being contained.

And just like that, they were off, the two of them, together. Anakin felt like he was walking on air, grateful beyond measure that the Force had aligned to give him this opportunity. He could barely keep still. To have an excuse to be near her, speak to her, breathe the same air, it was more than he could bear. It was a dream, one he hoped wouldn’t end.

They traveled on a freighter, blending in with the other passengers, keeping a low profile to avoid tipping off anyone who might want to harm her. Even then, in worn robes and modest surroundings, she shone like starlight. The journey was a whirlwind of feelings. Every time she looked at him, spoke to him, asked him something, anything, his heart felt like it might burst from his chest.

Padmé asked him about his life. About his Jedi training. About the man he was becoming.

And gathering a courage he didn’t fully possess, Anakin answered, painting vivid pictures of daring missions and wild adventures. He spoke of triumphs, of narrow escapes, of battles fought alongside Obi-Wan. Of course, with Obi-Wan not there, Anakin took a little liberty with the storytelling. Maybe just slightly exaggerated his own role. Maybe omitted the times things hadn’t gone quite to plan.

But in her eyes, he wanted to be impressive. He wanted to be more than the boy she used to know. He wanted to be the man she could one day love.

When they landed on Naboo, a welcoming party from the Queen’s court was already waiting by the dock. Anakin stepped out first, helping Padmé into the little lake skiff. Her delicate hand lingered against his palm, warm and featherlight, and even after she’d taken her seat to speak with one of the guards, he couldn’t help but glance down at his hand, tracing the ghost of her touch with his thumb and smiling to himself like a fool.

Barely ten minutes later, the boat glided across the still water and docked along the curved wooden pier that wrapped around the Amidala family’s lake house. The soft creak of wood under his boots echoed as Anakin stepped off, stretching out his hand to help the senator once again. But before he could savor the feel of her fingers in his, Padmé was already swept into her parents’ arms, their reunion saturated with long-held emotion and relief.

“Sis!”

An unfamiliar voice called from the doorway of the house, light, melodic, and filled with giddy affection. Anakin’s gaze snapped up, instinctively alert, his stance shifting until he saw you.

Your smile was pure sunlight as you darted forward, lifting your long silk skirt to hurry toward your sister, arms already reaching out for a hug. But as Anakin had instinctively anticipated, your steps faltered, your foot catching on one of the many airy layers of your gown. You teetered forward, wide-eyed, arms flailing. You were a second from tumbling off the dock and into the water.

Until he caught you.

One strong arm wrapped around your back, the other gripping your forearm just before you went under. Your breath hitched, your chest pressed to his, your heart pounding as the world slowed for a moment too long.

You looked up, startled and slightly breathless, straight into the bluest eyes you'd ever seen. The kind of blue that made you forget what you were about to say.

“Oh,” you murmured, blinking. “Wait—are you that little boy Padmé said she met on Tatooine?”

Anakin blinked, like your words had snapped him out of a trance. He carefully set you back on your feet, stepping away as soon as he was sure you were steady.

“I’m a Jedi,” he said quickly, too quickly. “Anakin Skywalker.”

There was a quiet defiance in the way he said it, like he needed to cast off whatever image you’d just conjured. Not a boy from a desert planet. Not a slave. But a warrior. A protector. A Jedi.

Your smile only grew, excitement flaring in your expression. “I’ve never met a Jedi before,” you said, eyes bright with curiosity. “You can, like... move stuff with your mind? Or even better — do you actually carry one of those glowing laser swords?”

“Lightsaber,” Anakin corrected gently, but his lips tugged into a smile, soft and a little cocky, like he couldn’t quite help it. You made him feel seen. Not as a mission or an obligation. But as something... more.

He straightened slightly, his tone slipping into something halfway between duty and pride. “A Jedi’s lightsaber is his life. We’re taught to protect it, to never lose it.”

You leaned in a little closer, not missing the flicker of pride in his voice. “Can I see it?” you asked, like you were asking to see a hidden treasure. “Please? Just for a second?”

There was a sparkle in your eyes, like this was all a grand adventure. You weren't impressed by titles or legacy. You were just curious, joyful, and so effortlessly magnetic it almost made his chest ache.

Anakin hesitated, a quiet grin blooming at the edge of his lips. He knew he shouldn’t. But he also knew he wanted to.

And Force help him — he wanted to impress you.

“Y/N, Padawan Skywalker didn’t come here to play,” Padmé said gently, her tone laced with older-sister patience as she gave you a pointed look.

You pouted but obeyed, not without rolling your eyes like a bratty teenager who'd been caught mid-fun. Anakin noticed, catching the shift in your expression just as you stuck your tongue out at him. He blinked in surprise, clearly unsure whether he should be amused or annoyed. You, of course, took that as a win.

You and Padmé couldn’t have been more different.

Where she was graceful, composed, and precise, a woman who wielded diplomacy the way some wielded weapons, you were all impulse, confidence, and fire. Padmé had always been the one to weigh every word, to calculate every step. You, on the other hand, didn’t stop until you got what you wanted, no matter how messy the path there was. If she was the cool voice of reason, you were the one kicking down the door.

You both carried the same iron courage, the same unwavering hope in people, but yours showed up in sharper, more unpredictable ways. Maybe it was the age gap. Maybe it was her responsibilities as a senator. Or maybe it was simply the weight of her legacy, the fact that you’d spent your life under the shadow of the galaxy’s role model, and your only choice was to walk a different path entirely.

Anakin’s official duty was to protect Padmé, shadow her, guard her, ensure no further attempts on her life succeeded. But the reality was far more boring than it sounded. She spent long hours behind closed doors in tense meetings, writing briefs, and trading coded messages with other senators. And because he wasn’t allowed in the room when classified matters were discussed, he spent much of his time pacing the hallways like a restless hound.

Which meant you quickly became his favorite distraction.

You’d appear with a mischievous smile and a bounce in your step, tossing him a piece of fruit or a cupcake as you passed by, laughing when he fumbled the catch. Other times, you’d simply sit beside him, chattering about anything and everything, sometimes just to make him laugh. It became a rhythm, a quiet, unspoken habit. He found himself waiting for the sound of your footsteps. For that light in your eyes.

Once and only once he let you hold his lightsaber.

He’d meant it as a small gesture, maybe even a show of trust. A way to impress you. But within moments, you’d accidentally activated it, and before either of you could react, you’d sliced your mother’s antique vase clean in two.

You both stared at the destruction in stunned silence, the hum of the blade still vibrating in the air. Then you looked at him, wide-eyed but shameless.

“Oops.”

Anakin groaned, hand over his face. “I’m never hearing the end of this.”

You just grinned, handing the weapon back carefully like it was no big deal. “Relax, Skywalker. I’ll blame it on the wind.”

And in that moment, he knew exactly what kind of trouble you were, and that he liked it far more than he should.

On one of his nightly rounds, Anakin noticed a window left ajar, the curtains swaying lazily in the cool night breeze. He moved toward it cautiously, one hand already brushing the hilt of his lightsaber, prepared for danger, for disruption.

What he found instead was you.

You were perched in the open window, dressed in black pants and a jacket that blended into the night, your silhouette cut from the same cloth as the stars. Your legs dangled freely, swaying just over the edge, as if you were moments away from slipping into the moonlit air and vanishing.

His heart skipped, not from fear, but from the jolt of seeing you there, wild and untamed.

“What are you doing?” he asked, voice low and sharp, his brow furrowed as his hand closed firmly around your arm. The contact was meant to stop you, but his fingers lingered.

You rolled your eyes dramatically. “You don’t know how to have fun, do you, Anakin?” you teased, your smile pulling at the corner of your mouth, sly and impossible to ignore. “I suppose fun isn’t in the Jedi vocabulary.”

He didn’t answer. His jaw was set, his fingers tightening slightly on your arm.

“Y/N, go back to your room,” he said, trying to summon that disciplined tone Obi-Wan always used. “You’re going to get yourself hurt.”

“Then come with me,” you murmured, tilting your head. “Protect me, Jedi.”

There was something in your voice, a melody laced with danger, invitation, and the kind of rebellion Anakin recognized too well in himself. You weren’t just tempting him to leave his post, you were tempting him to abandon the safety of his walls. To choose want over duty.

He glanced at the hallway behind him, at the door to Padmé’s quarters, the room he was assigned to guard. That was where he should be. The Jedi Code echoed in the back of his mind like a warning bell. But the fire in your eyes drowned it out.

“Come on, Anakin,” you whispered, fingers sliding down his wrist and lacing with his. “Almost all of Naboo’s guard is stationed here. No one’s going to get past them tonight.”

His resolve crumbled the moment you pulled him closer.

“Fine,” he said, quiet and breathless.

You grinned, not a sweet smile, but something electric. And without another word, you leapt out of the window, tugging him with you. Anakin barely had time to react before he landed behind you on the back of a speeder bike, the one you have parked discreetly at the edge of the estate.

Your hands took the controls. The engine purred to life, and then you were flying, your hair whipping back into his face, your body warm and solid against his. He wrapped his arms around your waist, to keep balance, he told himself. But he didn’t let go.

You flew like you lived, fast, chaotic, alive. The speeder dove and climbed with reckless abandon, your laughter carried on the wind. More than once, he swore you were about to hit a tree, only for you to swerve with perfect, impossible timing.

The world blurred around you, stars above, lake below and still, all Anakin could think of was the warmth of your body beneath his hands, the rush of danger and desire tangling in his chest. You weren’t just a thrill. You were a spark. A question he’d never dared ask, what would it feel like to be free?

The lake shimmered below as you leaned them toward the water, close enough for him to dip his hand into the cool surface. His fingers broke through the glass-like stillness, trailing through glowing fish that darted away in flashes of silver and blue.

For once, there were no rules. No titles. No expectations. He isn't the choosen one. He was just Anakin.

Just you and him, flying too fast through the night, hearts pounding, hands tangled, somewhere between duty and something far more dangerous.

You smiled softly, glancing over your shoulder at him. That carefree grin on his face suited him, bright, unburdened, almost boyish. Anakin was too young to carry the weight of a galaxy on his shoulders. He shouldn’t have had to bear so much so soon. Tonight, you just wanted to give him something simple, a night with no duties, no burdens, no destiny waiting to devour him.

A moment of distraction, a curve too fast and you nearly clipped a tree. Anakin acted on instinct, grabbing the steering handles and forcing the speeder into a sharp turn. The vehicle skidded, tore through a field of wildflowers, and finally came to a halt in a shower of petals and torn grass. The two of you tumbled off the bench, landing in the tangled bloom of crushed blossoms and laughter.

You braced for a lecture. You’d nearly killed them both. He had every right to scold you, but instead, he laughed.

Anakin tipped his head back and let go, laughing so hard he clutched his stomach, his whole body shaking with it. And that was it, you cracked too, letting the tension dissolve into giggles and gasps for breath, tears of joy slipping down your cheeks as you collapsed into the flowers beside him.

“Thank you,” Anakin murmured when the laughter faded into silence. His palm found your back, warm and grounding as he pulled you closer. Your head came to rest on his chest, rising and falling with each quiet breath. “I needed that.”

You smiled softly, tracing the seams of his Jedi uniform with idle fingers. “A near-death experience?”

He chuckled. “Yeah… that too.”

His eyes drifted up to the sky endless and star-drenched. So different from Tatooine. On Naboo, the air wasn’t thick with fear or survival. Here, everything felt softer. Lighter. Free.

“I think,” he said slowly, “I needed to be happy… without feeling guilty about it.”

You looked up at him, gaze gentle, then reached for his hand. Your fingers found his and squeezed, grounding him again.

“Good,” you whispered, a grin tugging at your lips. “cause I don’t plan on letting you go until we’ve squeezed every bit of fun Naboo has to offer.”

“Oh?” he teased, brushing a strand of hair away from your face, his fingers grazing your skin just long enough to make your breath catch. The moonlight painted your features like something from a dream, soft, glowing, unreal. “And I don’t get a choice?”

You shook your head, playful but sincere. “You always have a choice, Anakin. You just have to remember that it’s yours to make.”

Your eyes turned skyward again, catching the shimmer of a shooting star as it cut through the dark. “Quick, quick, make a wish.”

He watched you close your eyes, the smallest smile curving your lips as you whispered your hope to the stars. You were radiant like this, not just beautiful, but whole, alive in a way that seemed untouched by everything that weighed on him.

He closed his eyes too.

He didn’t believe in those myths, in childish stories. But if a wish could keep you close, if it could carve out more nights like this, where he wasn’t a Jedi, or a soldier, or a ticking time bomb, then he would wish harder than he ever had.

Because this? This soft happiness? He hadn’t known how badly he needed it. And now that he had… he wasn’t sure he could live without it.

You reminded him that he had choices. That he was still human, still his own. That maybe, just maybe, he didn’t have to walk the path that others carved for him.

He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. But under that star-filled sky, your hand still wrapped in his, he decided he was ready to find out.

TAGLIST: @ihearthayden @anakinstwinklebunny @sometimescharlolette @awhhayden @dessxoxsworld @speaknow-sw @freudsweetlamb @devilslittlehelper

[cookybananas]

It's Been A Long Time, Old Friend (Part I) - Unburnt!Darth Vader x Reader

summary: where Darth Vader arrives on the planet of Lianna. Only to discover that the Queen of Lianna was once his old flame during his Jedi years.

"And there you are! You're all set to go your Excellency." Chira, your handmaiden said after putting some final touches to your look.

"Chira, you know you don't have to call me that when we're alone right?" You responded, looking at yourself in the large vanity mirror. Your husband, Kairos, King of Lianna, was having meeting with the Emperor's right hand man, Lord Vader. Ever since your arranged marriage to him, it is expected of you to appear alongside him in his meetings to get a second opinion and to look like an accessory.

Never in million of years you would find yourself in an arranged marriage to a man you've never met, but here you are. Two years after the fall of the Jedi, you've traveled from planet to planet, evading inquisitors from finding and capturing you. There was one day you found yourself in a slave trading operation, where you sold off as a promising bride to your now husband, King Kairos of Lianna. At first, Kairos was hesitant in marrying you since you were a slave, but he had a duty to give his father a long lineage of heirs and his people a beautiful Queen to follow.

However, the marriage had been rocky from the get-go and continued to remain that way. You were never interested in him nor was he into you. No matter how hard you both tried to like each other, and understand one another, you both would always have opposing viewing points and would always clash. Maybe it had something to do with your Jedi beliefs instilled in you or your distaste towards members of royal families, or the fact your husband was a bootlicker for the Emperor and his Galactic Empire, and was a constant supplier for their TIE fighters.

Because of this, you both decided to remain separate from each other from all hours of the day, as you both had your own duties to fulfill. You both eventually agreed to sleep in separate chambers due to how sour the marriage had turned.

As dangerous and stupid of an idea it was at the time, you believed it was somewhat a smart plan on your end to marry a royal family member. The inquisitors couldn't suspect a former Jedi to marry into royalty, right? Luckily, it helps that women who are apart of the Royal Family of Lianna, are expected to wear face paint and makeup to cover up their real identity. A similar practice that derived from the Royal Family of Naboo.

You had also cut yourself off the force right after the rise of the Empire. After Obi-Wan had told you that Anakin had turned to the dark side, you both knew what was expected to come for the both of you. Obi-Wan had gone his separate way, and you followed suit onto your own path.

Now here you were, covered in white face paint, heavy purple eyeshadow, and bright red lipstick embellished your facial features.

Chira assisted you in your royal gown. The gown was a deep purple, adorned with thousands of beads from the waist down. Chira placed your large halo crown onto your head, securing it place.

"Andddddd we're done! It looks like it's time for your meeting!" Chira said, eyeing you up and down, making sure you were looking like royalty.

"Thank you Chira. You are free to leave." You replied. Chira bowed before exiting your chambers.

You met your husband on the landing pad to the palace, where you both awaited for the arrival of Lord Vader.

"Darling, don't you look delightful today." Your husband, Kairos spoke up, lending his arm for you to take.

"Don't I always do?" You quipped, wrapping your arm around his. The whirring sound of a ship approached the landing pad. The door to the ship opened, revealing a line of stormtroopers, as they walked down the ramp. Right behind them, stood the terrifying Darth Vader.

"Ah, Lord Vader, shall we began our discourse?" Kairos spoke up, bowing to him, to which I silently followed his action.

"As always King Kairos." Lord Vader responded. The three of us, alongside the stormtrooper and our guards made our way to the conference hall.

-

The meeting was long and agonizing, as per usual. Kairos would argue for a larger price, the opposing party would try to bargain for a lower price, and yadda yadda.

Though this was your first meeting with the Emperor's apprentice, you have to stay, you weren't as intimidated as you thought you were. Yeah, you've heard grisly stories about the Sith Lord and cruel he can be, but after having to sit 2 hours straight across from him wasn't as bad. However, you did feel small under his gaze. His attention may be focused on your husband, but you couldn't help but sense the seeking glances from the Sith Lord himself from time to time.

"Perhaps we could ask your wife about her thoughts on this matter." Vader's mechanical voice shook you out of your thoughts and brought you back to reality. You looked at your husband, then at Lord Vader, before speaking up.

"Well, I do think it's possible to increase production and have our men producing 20,000 TIE fighters per week the next four weeks with the price of 7,000,000 Imperial credits." You offered, the amount that was way less than what your husband had originally offer, that being 20,000,000. Kairos feigned a smile as he squeezed your thigh in response to your offer, indicating that he was not satisfied with the amount you've offered to Lord Vader.

"We have a deal. I will return in two weeks to see the progress. It was a pleasure doing business with you as always King Kairos." The Sith Lord responded, now standing abruptly from his seat. Both Kairos and I followed suit. Kairos shaking his hand with Lord Vader, sealing the deal.

"And I see you have a wife. From what I recall, I don't remember you being married." The Sith Lord piqued. I adverted my gaze away from Lord Vader's intense gaze. Kairos squeezed my arm before speaking up.

"Well, we haven't been married that long Lord Vader. We had just gotten married shortly after our last meeting, so it's been 4 months." Kairos smiled down at me, to which I returned. "You will see her more often in our future encounters my Lord."

"I look forward to them." Vader responded, eyeing me up and down once more. Kairos and I assist Vader and his stormtroopers to his ship on the landing pad. After watching his ship depart, Kairos releases his arm from mine and walks back inside the palace, into his private chambers. I sigh to myself, watching Lord Vader's ship fly off in the horizon, before making my way into my chambers.

-

He couldn't put a finger on it, but something about you stirred something inside him. He didn't want to stare at you for too long, he knew it would make you uncomfortable, but there was just something about you that seemed familiar. Upon landing on the landing pad, he felt a faint force signature. Though you cut off yourself off from the force two years ago, some parts of you still lingered in the force.

After Vader's departure from the palace, he hadn't left the planet's atmosphere yet. In fact, his ship was on autopilot in the sky as he was busy sending a message to his master to tell him his discovery. Vader had a mission to get rid of every last Jedi, whether it meant to turn them into inquisitors or kill them off entirely.

"Master, it would seem I've made a discovery." Vader spoke to the blue figure on the holotable to his ship.

"And what would that discovery be Lord Vader?" The Emperor's tone sounding a bit impatient at his apprentice's words.

"It would appear that Queen of Lianna could be a force-sensitive individual, Master."

"Is that so my apprentice? What an interesting discovery... Perhaps we could turn her into a pawn, or a weapon... I would keep an eye on this one, Lord Vader. Perhaps she is a lot stronger with the force than we may realize." The Emperor responded, somewhat surprised that a Jedi had found themselves entangled in a royal family.

"Yes my master." Vader responded before the figure of Palpatine disappeared from the holotable. He had a new objective now. Vader wanted to alter the deal now. Instead of visiting in two weeks to check on the progress, he in fact, wanted to oversee the progress every day until he had gotten his TIE fighters. With this, Vader had made his way back to the palace.

-

"Your Majesty! You must come quickly!" Chira, your handmaiden had barged into your chambers. Unsure what was happening, you dropped the book you were reading and followed her.

"What's the matter Chira? Has something happened?" You asked, both of you fastening your pace in the direction of the throne room.

"I-it's Lord Vader. He came back...The King requested your presence." Chira huffed out. Both you and Chira arrived outside the tall doors to the throne room. You took a deep breath and corrected your posture before entering the room. The doors slowly opened, revealing the backsides of numerous stormtroopers and Lord Vader. Kairos, was seated on his throne, talking to Lord Vader when you caught his attention.

"My love, come." Kairos stood up, gesturing for you to come sit in your throne next to his. The stormtroopers and Lord Vader turn around to face you as you hurriedly made your way over to your royal seat.

"I have altered the deal. I will be overseeing the progress on the TIE fighters from now." Darth Vader's voice echoed throughout the room. You nervously looked over at your husband, unsure what he had gotten yourselves into.

"Y-Yes, your Lord. May I ask-"

"There will be no questions. I ask that you will provide my men lodging and meals for the duration of their stay." The Sith Lord interrupted him. To which Kairos could do nothing about nod enthusiastically at Lord Vader's requests. "Tomorrow, you will provide me a tour of your facilities as I will begin to oversee all production of my TIE fighters."

"Of course my Lord." Kairos stood up, bowing to Lord Vader. You sat there, staring at your husband, anxious of what was yet to come.

-

"What the hell was that Kairos?!" You exclaimed. Both you and Kairos were having another one of your disputes in his chambers once again. This time, it was about Lord Vader's little vacation at the palace and overseeing the planet's assets. "When are you going to stop kissing the Empire ass and stand up for yourself for once?"

"I had no choice Y/N! Have you forgotten that Lord Vader and the Emperor are the most cruel and powerful beings in this star system?! They'll cut off my arm if I were to disagree with them." Kairos retorted. You scoffed at the same excuse he had used ever since you brought this topic up. "The Empire is funding our planet. We are an asset to the Empire. We're becoming richer and richer with every TIE fighter and Imperial weapons we sell them. With this, we can help our people."

"I don't know want to hear it anymore Kairos. Our people still suffer at the hands of the Empire, whether it is happening directly or indirectly." You made your way to the door. "You may not see it now, but the damage done to the planet and the people will be irreparable when you come to your senses." With that, you slammed the door your husband's door shut. You huffed out in frustration, your heels clicking on the marble flooring as you stormed toward your chambers. Little did you know, Vader was around the corner, eavesdropping on the argument that you and Kairos had moments ago. The Sith Lord smiled to himself, realizing that he use this to further manipulate the King of Lianna with the knowledge that his marriage was crippling.

-

After taking a long soak in your bath and finishing your nighttime routine, you were eager to get some rest. Shutting the lamp on your nightstand, you began to snooze off.

Images of being in the Jedi Temple began to flood your dreams. Realizing what your mind was doing, you tried to shut down those dreams, worried that it would pull you deeper into the force and down the path of memories that you did not want to relive. But what you didn't know, Darth Vader was in the meditation chambers that the Lianna medical staff and engineers had constructed for the Sith Lord. Darth Vader was using the force to encourage you to reveal yourself. There was something oddly familiar about you that made him curious.

After trying to get into your mind, he couldn't. Either you had nothing interesting going in your mind or that you were really good at blocking him out. Vader knew he had to be careful. He couldn't give away his true intentions to why he was here on the planet of Lianna. Yes, he and Palpatine need the TIE fighters, however this is different now. A force-sensitive woman who was a Queen was the topic interest at the moment. Plus, Vader needed to be away from the Death Star. Staring at the dark gray walls and into hyperspace just wasn't cutting it for him. Luckily the planet of Lianna was filled with lush gardens and vast lakes that Vader and his men could enjoy the duration of their stay.

-

next part: It's Been A Long Time, Old Friend (Part II)

[distortionbobble]

Royal Flowers Chapter 13: Finale

series masterlist

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a/n (links to a separate post since this is my last chapter of this series)

pairing: anakin skywalker x f!reader

series summary: A long, long, time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a certain Jedi by the name of Anakin Skywalker meets you, the current Queen of Naboo and adopted cousin of Padme Amidala, and is tasked with protecting you by pretending to marry you. As a spy, you’ve infiltrated the Separatist ranks and are close to finding out the mastermind behind all of it. The fate of the galaxy is in your hands.

Your words brand into Anakin’s skull. Nothing but allies. Nothing but allies, nothing but allies, nothingbutalliesnothingbutalliesnothingbutallies. You’re right. How did he forget that? This isn’t permanent. Any freedom he might have felt with you is a falsehood. He’s shackled to the Jedi Order. He is the Chosen One, and you were just a distraction. He understands now, what it means to be the Chosen One; he must give, and give, until there is nothing left of him. Nothing is his to keep, and yet everything is his to lose. 

His judgment was clouded, but now you have brought him clarity. How could he have forgotten his purpose? To bring justice to the Force by annihilating the Sith. There cannot be peace, nor justice, while they are allowed to exist. He understands it all now. He is the Chosen One, and thus the universe’s fate rests in his hands, and his alone. He could bring safety, security, but he just needs to get the Sith out of the way. 

Anakin smiles bitterly. It’ll all be his, and he can do it justice. His hatred of you makes it all clear where it was once blurred. 

His mind circles back to what Sidious had said earlier. To wipe out the Jedi Order. How was it that Sidious believed that plan would be fruitful? He is no fool, there’s no chance that Sidious had somehow… forgotten that the entirety of the Clone Army was there to defend the Order. There simply wasn’t enough manpower. Anakin takes no interest in the destruction of his people now. He does not need to save you, as you reminded him. But Sidious’ threat is no idle chatter. It means something, and he needs to understand why.

Anakin moves quickly through the building, drawn to Sidious by the spider-like Force thread linking the two of them. Anakin considers himself lucky— the emotions that you inspire within him, the anger and desire that you’ve now quelled, only served to make his case stronger to Palpatine. He was a mess, wasn’t he? But now he’s in control. His emotional disconnect can only make him stronger, that’s what the Jedi taught him. He can do it. He can be the perfect Jedi now. Violent fantasies race through him— he dreams of slicing Sheev Palpatine’s head clean from his body, of suffocating the man in his sleep. He dreams of doing it when Palpatine cannot fight, dreams of ending him the way Palpatine ended so many lives before— in violence, in bloodshed. 

This is the Jedi Way, is it not? And he can only thank you for bringing him back to the light, with your callous manner of shattering his heart. 

No matter. Anakin knows to suppress his feelings, as the Jedi are advised to do. 

Sidious is never hard to find for Anakin. Always lurking around some dark corner, always ready to coax Anakin to him. 

“Master,” Anakin calls to Sidious, but he shakes his head quickly, scanning the corridor for any audience before pulling Anakin aside. 

“What is it, Anakin?” 

“This feeling of… of dread that drowned me over the death of my wife has vanished. It seems as though I have found grace through my pursuit of… ” Anakin’s confession trails off. Sidious knows what he’s referencing, anyways. It’s not fully a lie, the feeling truly is gone, but maybe that’s because you broke his heart. Or maybe not. There’s been something strange about all of this, about how the visions of your violent end only began when Palpatine saw him. Perhaps Sidious had been fanning the flames of his hungry desire, perhaps it was all manufactured. 

Or perhaps not. 

“Earlier today,” Anakin says, “you told me the cost of my enlightenment.” 

SIdious nods. Anakin sees greed unmasked in his eyes, and for a second, he is disgusted— this is the being who had manipulated him? His drive for love, was it all Sidious? The Chosen One, being distracted by this lowly being. 

He continues. 

“The Clones. The Jedi outnumber us with their Clone Army, how is it that I am to purge the Temple of the shackled younglings if there are Jedi and Clones that could strike me down so easily?” 

Sidious smiles. Anakin can see the lines on his face— the clear marking of evil itself, inspiring such hatred within him that it almost blinds his vision. 

“Not much escapes you, my apprentice.” Sidious’ voice curls around Anakin’s shoulders, sitting snakelike on his shoulders as he almost struggles to breathe. Can he tell? The Sith deal with lies, absolutes, this line that Anakin toes in his pursuit to bring them down. It is not Anakin’s strength. 

“You needn’t worry about them, Darth Vader,” Sidious’ name strikes Anakin deep in his soul. It scares him that there is a response to it; a recognition, deep within Anakin, one that wants power. And he would use that power for good, wouldn’t he? After all, the Jedi were more than happy with allowing him and his mother to remain slaves. It was under their galactic control that Shmi spent most of her life as a slave, only freed by a man that wanted to marry her. In Anakin’s mind, it was simple— perhaps the Jedi were wrong too, just as wrong as Sidious. If Anakin just took a fraction of the power that the Sith before him held, he could execute that power. He could save everyone. 

After all, what weight does the blood of a few younglings hold in the balance of the rest of the universe? It would be for the greater good. It wasn’t as though Anakin hadn’t done the same thing years before— he had massacred the Sand People’s children, all in an effort to bring peace. To prevent another experiencing what Shmi had. His thoughts keep spiraling as he stalks away from Sidious, vortexing in his mind as thoughts of violence, of anger, rise above the storm. 

There is a war in Anakin Skywalker’s mind, and he is losing it. 

~~~

You lied to Anakin. 

Of course he is more than an ally to you. You have had no one for so long, been so alone that you didn’t even know the image in the mirror. It wasn’t that Anakin was your consort, or that you had a sexual or romantic connection. No, you had something beyond that with Anakin. It was your lifeline, and you felt as though you were choking on it now. 

But it is too late now. Better off this way, anyways— you’ve grown attached to Anakin, in a manner that resembles the way the moonlight needs the suns. Codependent, as though you are nothing without him. And when he is gone, when he returns to the Jedi, you will be left with nothing. As always. Your time is short, limited— you wish just as much to spare Anakin whatever grief he may feel from your loss. You wonder if it’s selfish to hope he does feel that loss still. 

Your rationality does nothing to soothe your wounded heart as you clutch at your chest and heave, your pain taking a physical manifestation as everything begins to sink in. Your limited days, the fear of your death, and your worries for everything that you will leave behind.

Maker, you almost forgot about Padme. You need to get to her, to warn her— she’s in danger, always was, but maybe she can watch closely. She doesn’t even know that it’s Palpatine, does she?

Your body feels as though it’s fighting you as you make your way to Padme’s wing. Your blood pumps sluggishly, your mouth dry and your bones aching as you fight to get to her room. You don’t understand what’s happening. You were fine just moments earlier, but now, it feels as though there is something leaching from your soul, feeding on your energy parasitically. It feels as though it takes eons to reach Padme’s door, draining you with each step you take. You pound on her door, not even bothering to address her maids as you shove past them and collapse in her arms. 

“Padme,” you sob, burying your face into her neck. She embraces you tenderly; mother, sister, cousin, friend, she will always be whatever you need. 

“Sweetheart,” she whispers, shooing everyone out of the room with one hand as she holds you still. 

“I’m too young to die,” you cry out, bursting into tears as you shake. “I don’t want to, Padme, but they’ll do it. And I- I need to tell you,” you gasp, standing straight. “Padme, you were right. It’s Chancellor Palpatine, it’s him— he’s Sidious. He’s been planning everything out.” 

“Oh, no,” she whispers. “What about Anakin?” 

“I don’t know,” you sigh. You take your head in your hands as you think of the last words you spoke to him. You think of the way they cut through your throat, through your tongue until at last they cut through Anakin. Hurting both you and him at the same time. “Padme, they’re going to try to kill you. You’re the only hope for the galaxy. With all the trauma that the people of the galaxy will endure, it’s only natural that they would turn to someone they trust, that they know can deliver them salvation. You’re one of the most beloved Senators, and you were a beloved Queen. They will try to kill you,” you explain, tearing at a seam in your anxiousness. 

“That’s nothing new,” She sighs, easing you to the settee as she sits next to you. “No, no… it is. They’ll triple their efforts. They won’t stop til you’re dead. I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this, Padme.” Your hands are shaking when she takes them in her own, kissing the side of your head as you both process it all. 

“The Separatists are planning on getting rid of me. Did I ever tell you that?” You ask Padme. “I have been frantically trying to arrange for Naboo’s welfare, but I need you to know. I need you to prepare. You’re the only one I trust,” you whisper. 

“Did you tell Anakin?” Padme asks. It makes you pause. Surely he knew, right? But then you think for a second longer. You knew the Separatists were planning on killing you. You took it as an eventuality, really; in your line of work, it was luck that allowed you to survive so long. You welcomed your death, in a sense, even if you fear it— it was something that you knew to anticipate. But those nightmares that Anakin had of losing you, it must have stemmed from the fact that he didn’t know. He didn’t know your death was an inevitability, approaching quickly. You shake your head. 

“Good. Listen, I don’t— there’s something I need to tell you,” Padme says, pulling away from your side. She’s unable to meet your eyes. 

“What is it, Padme?” 

“You must listen to me, and understand that whatever I did, I knew that Anakin would never hurt you. Never.” 

“You’re scaring me—” 

“Listen. Listen to me. I never told you the reason I left, because you trusted my judgment so deeply. It was some time into his assignment with me. He and I cared about each other deeply, so deeply that it hurt to be apart from him. He got these visions, terrible visions, of his mother suffering and in pain. He couldn’t separate himself from these visions. They consumed him, truly, and I knew we had no choice but to go directly to Tatooine itself. I followed him there, you see. We found out that his mother had been freed, but was lost. Disappeared. The Lars man said she had disappeared at the hands of the Sand Raiders. Anakin tracked them down, found them. And…” 

“And what?” You ask, your throat dry. Padme looks at you, face lined with pain. You knew what she was going to say before she did. You knew the rage that Anakin carried all this time, you knew that something that terrible would only turn him into a weapon. 

“Anakin hadn’t seen his mother for years. He saw her as larger-than-life, just like a child that never got to see his mother with anything more than reverence. The Jedi Order took him away. He never had a chance, do you see? Seeing his mother like that… something broke in him. Something that had bent and bent until it had no give, and it shattered him.” 

Padme pauses. Her fists clench and release, balancing her tension and some other emotion you can’t quite place. And when she looks at you with red flaring in her cheeks and forehead, you understand it clearly. 

Shame. 

“He killed them all.” 

“What?” You’re in shock. You knew it was coming, but somehow, this feels worse. Confirmation of the monster that lurks in Anakin. A monster that must only be fed by Palpatine’s manipulations.

“Every last woman and child. He killed them all, and rationalized it in the same breath. There is a darkness lurking in him, my dearest. It scared me. I couldn’t see him the same, so… I left.” 

“Oh, Maker,” You gasp as it overwhelms you. “Padme, I- he, oh, no,” you whimper. “No, no, he’s joined the Sith. I know the Sith, they’ll have him do something horrible, and I fear he might just do it. Padme, oh, I need to get to him.” 

“Go,” she whispers, urging you out. “Go, and save him from himself.”

~~~

You’re a wreck as you make your way to your shared bedchambers. You hope he’s there, but even if he isn’t, you’ll tear Coruscant apart before you let him go about this battle alone. What he did was wrong. It terrifies you, the level of rage that he had in order to massacre innocents. It goes against the Anakin you know, the values that he holds. 

But more importantly, you understand that he needs help. He needs help, and you’re probably the only person who understands that. 

You fling open the door to find Anakin standing there, head tilted down as he stares out the window. Night is beginning to set, casting Anakin in dark shadows. He is swallowed by the darkness, but you can still see a sliver of light on his face. There is still light in him, you know. 

“I hate you,” Anakin seethes quietly. He doesn’t bother to look at you, flicking with the lightsaber in his hand as he sets his focus on the world outside. 

“And I love you,” You respond, just as quietly. You stalk towards him, quiet and careful. It feels as though you are approaching a wild animal, fearful that any sudden movement will end up with both of you losing your lives. 

“No, you don’t. You said so yourself.” 

“I lied, Anakin. I was afraid, didn't you see? I’m not excusing what I did. I should have been honest with you, should have told you that I didn’t have a choice outside of falling hopelessly for you from the very first moment I saw you. You’re my husband, Anakin. There’s a reason I still let this chain sit on my wrist. It’s because I love you, Anakin, I see you as my comfort and safety and the reason I want to make this galaxy a better place.” 

“You were afraid of me, and you call that love?” Anakin scoffs. You shake your head in response. 

“No. No, Anakin, I knew that the Separatists were going to kill me soon. You’re valuable, someone that the Jedi will avenge and now the Sith wouldn’t dream of killing you anyways. But me? I’m a wrench in their plans. We knew that I didn’t have long after we saw Arus, remember? I was afraid of failing, Anakin. I’m not like you, or Padme— I’m not destined for greatness. I have lived the life of a spy, every single worthwhile thing I’ve done going unnoticed in the shadows. As it must. But I had a responsibility to the people of Naboo. What was the use of finding out the Separatists’ plan if I wasn’t going to act on it?” 

Anakin looks at you now, some of that anger beginning to fade as he looks at you. Truly looks at you. You wonder if he understands you and what he’s thinking about. 

You press on. 

“I love you. I was so scared to admit it, Anakin, because you’re the only person that I’ve ever really had. I wanted something permanent with you, Anakin, I wanted something that you could never give you. I still do. I want a love that lasts into our last years, I want to argue with you over the mundane things, I want to wake up to you every day. Anakin, please listen to me, I love you. You’re the best thing that my life has given me, and I was so terrified.” Your voice catches on the last word. There’s a lump in your throat that you’re fighting past as truth spills off your tongue and through your teeth. The raw verity is unfamiliar to you as you fight your learned habits of lying. Part of you wants to run, still, to take your truths and shove them between the darknesses of the stars. It’s what you know, and it’s hard to fight that nature. 

“You don’t love me,” Anakin’s voice turns hard. “You don’t know the things I’ve done. If you did, I know you would abandon me. Just like the others. They always leave me in the end.” 

“No, Anakin,” you murmur, grasping his hand in your own and kissing his knuckles gently. “I know the things you’ve done. You don’t scare me, Anakin. My love is here, still. But…” Anakin’s hand grows stiff in yours. It doesn’t stop you. “But I don’t think what happened was okay. I love you, and I don’t think it was okay. I’m not leaving. I see goodness in you, a goodness that is inherent to you. Please don’t fight it, Anakin.” 

“You know about the Sand People?” You nod at his question. 

He looks at you hard, as though he is testing you. Waiting for you to slip up, to give him an excuse to call it all a lie. But he won’t find anything. It’s the truth. You don’t want to have him do what he did ever again, to hurt innocents in his rage, but you don’t see it as only his wrongdoing. 

You reach a trembling hand to his face, brushing locks of his hair away from his eyes and stroking his cheek. He turns into your hand almost subconsciously, resting his cheek in your palm as he studies you. He finds something there, some answer that he needed that allows him to relax. He pulls your hand away from his face with his flesh hand, placing a hand on the nape of your neck and bringing him to you.

You’re just a hair away from him now, close enough that you can feel his breath mix with yours. 

“You love me?” he asks you. 

“I love you.” 

He’s hesitant as he brings his mouth to yours. There is no pretense here, nothing that either of you can hide behind. This is open and plain, honest feelings that leave you bare and at his mercy, and him at your mercy. The skin of your lips ignites when they finally meet Anakin’s lips, moving so softly that it ignites the nerves mapping each cell of your lips. You savor it, the sweetness, but it feels so delicate that you fear moving in case you destroy it. Kissing Anakin like this feels like connection. As though there is a bond between your souls that you’re finally allowing to grow. You smile slightly as he toys with your wedding chain, twisting it against his own. 

“My sweet wife,” he whispers. Yes, you want to scream it. Yes, I am yours. 

Anakin’s back straightens suddenly. You can feel that rage back inside of him, threatening to burst again. 

“You love me,” He says sharply. It no longer feels as though he is making you promise him. No, this feels… dangerous. “The Sith were going to take you away from me,” Anakin seethes. 

“Anakin, no,” You object. He pays you no heed, pacing back and forth as his anger brews. 

“They were going to kill you. They were going to hurt you, the way they showed me in my dreams. I can’t let that happen, you see? I need to kill Sheev Palpatine,” Anakin growls. You jump forward at him, pulling his arm back as he tries to muscle his way towards the door. 

“If you’re going to kill him, you’ll need to kill me first,” you state, throwing yourself in front of him. He pauses. “I can’t let you do this, Anakin. I can’t watch you throw yourself into the darkness, instead of cultivating the light within you. No, Anakin, let someone else do it. Don’t give into the anger, and hatred, just let me love you and keep you safe. Call Obi-Wan, or Mace, or any other Jedi that can handle this.”

“They’ll just take the credit from me. They’re all jealous of me,” Anakin hisses. 

“So let them. Leave the Order. We could be happy together, Anakin,” you whisper. “You won’t have your glory, or your power, but you’ll have me. You’ll have me even when you’re sick of me. Leave the Order, let them have the credit, just don’t let your anger swallow you whole.” 

“You’re lying, you’re with them and want to watch me fail,” Anakin accuses you, shoving you slightly as he fights towards the door. You grab his arm, twisting it so that the handle of his lightsaber sits at your stomach. 

“Do it, then,” you challenge him. “I don’t want to die, Anakin. But if I need to die in order to keep you safe, then so be it. My life is in your hands, Anakin, and I wouldn’t trust it in anyone else’s.” He won’t do it. You’re sure he won’t do it. But there’s that small part of you that doubts, that fears that he’ll decide to switch that lightsaber and let you die at his hands. You just hope that it would be enough to stop him. 

He hesitates for a moment. His eyes flash indecipherably, chest heaving as he breathes. The saber is cold even through your clothes. You wonder if it’ll be warm when you die. 

The thought almost makes you sob. Maker, you don’t want to die. You don’t want to die at Anakin’s hands, least of all. This life has been so cruel to the both of you. And when you finally found one another, you regret that it just might have been too late.

As soon as your fear enters you, Anakin tosses the lightsaber away. Sweeps you into his arms, holding you tightly as he begins to sob. 

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Anakin cries into your neck. 

“I’m here. I’m here, Anakin. It’s okay.” 

Anakin’s cyclic inhale-exhale lets you breathe, too. Then he speaks. 

“I’ll call Obi-Wan. Tell the Order to handle it.“

It’s over. The danger’s over. 

~~~

After Anakin called the other Jedi Knights, they dealt with the matter swiftly. The following days had been a whirlwind of fury and anxiety as Separatist allies and spies were exposed across the galaxy. Turmoil was threatening to break across the galaxy, and the Jedi themselves were preoccupied with preventing the Clones from turning. Deprogramming, they called it. That was what Palpatine had been talking about when he said not to worry about the clones. 

Anakin feels a sense of relief. Many of those clones were akin to brothers to him. Even if they were seen as dispensable, near-identical weapons, they were each different. He thinks of his own team, of Rex’s begrudging respect and the rapport they eventually built. There is a relief to it. He feels as though he is seeing the end of a nightmare that has plagued him all his life. 

Padme has been instrumental as the Republic tears into itself. Preventing it from total collapse with her guidance, allowing democracy to guide her even as everything rots around her. Anakin realizes that he’s happy for her, really. This is what she wanted. She always placed the good of the Republic as equal to her own wellbeing, and it was her life’s aim to see peace within her lifetime. He knows that peace will follow this soon. 

With all that he has gained, Anakin can’t help but think of what he has lost. In his absence, the Jedi had persecuted Ahsoka relentlessly. Anakin knew that Ahsoka was innocent. In the days following Palpatine’s arrest, he had worked tirelessly, finding that it was Jedi Barriss Offee behind the attacks. It was too much for Ahsoka to bear. She left the Order, walked away in the same way that Anakin is planning to. A wound that’s still raw. 

As for you, you haven’t left his side since Palpatine was arrested. The bond you have is new, shy— you’ve been married for so long, but this is the first time that you’re honest with each other. It’s exciting, new, and something that he isn’t obsessing over. You showed him that you wouldn’t enable him whilst loving him unconditionally. You were willing to die for him, after all. Whatever it is, you’ll find it out together. 

He trusts you. 

Which is why he’s doing what he’s doing. 

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin calls out, jogging towards his mentor in the familiar walls of the Jedi Temple. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan says in surprise before Anakin crushes him with the force of his hug. “Anakin.” 

“I missed you, Master,” Anakin says. He holds Obi-Wan tightly, steeling himself before he steps back. “Obi-Wan, there is so much I need to tell you. To say to you. And I’m afraid I’ll never get the chance.”

Obi-Wan looks at him with a sort of curious acceptance, and the weight of a thousand words unsaid sits between them. It is because of his love for Obi-Wan that Anakin speaks again. 

“You’ve fulfilled many roles in my life. Master, Brother, Father. Responsibilities that I couldn’t imagine bearing the burden of. And because of it, our relationship hasn’t always been…” 

“I understand,” Obi-Wan says quietly, as though the acknowledgement of it out-loud hurts him. “I love you, Anakin. I truly do.” 

“And I love you, Obi-Wan. You are my brother, who shaped me as I grew…which is why I need you to call the Council.” 

“What for?”

“I need to hold a trial. I have committed an atrocity.” 

~~~

“You massacred the Sand People,” Mace Windu repeats in disbelief. Obi-Wan hides his face in his hands as he fights back tears. Anakin is filled with shame, burning through his body, but he can’t stop. This is what’s right. 

“Yes.”

“Anakin, please, just— it can’t be his fault. Master Yoda, we know that Darth Sidious was grooming Anakin, manipulating him this whole time. We can’t abandon him,” Obi-Wan argues, his voice building as he grows frustrated. Anakin almost smiles. It’s funny; he never really saw how much Obi-Wan loved him until now. He sees it clearly, the way that Obi-Wan tries to bend his beliefs just so that Anakin can fit in. 

“I accept full accountability,” Anakin repeats, holding his head high. His saber sits before him on the floor, taunting him as it beckons for him to wield it. Don’t leave, it calls. Stay here, wield power and be great. He’s done listening to it. 

The Council falls silent as Yoda leans forward, holding up a single hand as he surveys Anakin for a long time. 

“Always a darkness within you, there was,” He says finally. “My fault for allowing it to get to this point, it was.” 

Anakin closes his eyes. He never imagined it would be so painful to hear his Masters, mentors, admit that they failed him. 

“A good man, you are. But a Jedi, you are not.” Yoda states with a finality. 

“Master Yoda, please, I urge you to reconsider,” Obi-Wan pleads. Begs. It hurts Anakin to see him this way. 

“No, Obi-Wan. This is what I want.”

“It can’t be!” 

“It’s what’s right.” 

“We could pardon you, still,” Master Windu interjects. “You’ve done so much for the Order, it only seems right.” Anakin shakes his head at this. 

“I’ll always be indebted to the Jedi Order. But it ends here. I can’t accept your pardons.” 

“Do you understand what you’re saying, Anakin?” Obi-Wan urges. His eyes are glassy as he looks at Anakin. 

“It isn’t your fault. You won’t lose me, brother,” Anakin says softly. “But it’s not right for me to be a Jedi any longer. I’ve committed an atrocity. I need to be exiled. It’s only right.” 

“You’re certain this is right?” Master Shaak Ti asks Anakin. He nods tightly in response. “Then it’s settled. Five years of exile in the Agricultural Corps. You’ll be monitored, but you’ll have access to support. We can get you help, Anakin.” 

“I’d like that,” Anakin states. He closes his eyes. 

“Of your title as a Jedi Knight, I strip you,” Yoda decrees. His whole life, stripped of him in a matter of an hour, and yet the only thing Anakin feels is peace. 

“I accept my sentence,” Anakin says. 

~~~

Five years passed quickly. During this time, Anakin forged a new way of using the Force for himself. Learned to walk the balance between the light and the dark. It gave him to process, to think. He thought about his relationship with Obi-Wan, the struggle that his brother faced as he tried to raise a child when he himself was still immature. It had never been fair to Anakin, or to Obi-Wan. Anakin imagines that under Qui-Gonn, their futures could have been so brilliant. It still hurts to think about most days. 

Other days, he thought of Padme. Of the consuming nature of their relationship, how it swallowed him and left him no room to breathe. They were never good for each other. Corrosive, pushing each other to worse depths as they spiraled in their loneliness. 

He tries not to think of you. He’s grown a lot since he first went into exile, but the thought of losing you still hurts. However, he’s learned to accept the things out of his control, and to love without needing to be loved reciprocally. He will offer his heart up to you, beating and bloody, but he will not expect you to do the same. Nor will he accept you to take it. Just the act of offering it is enough for him, now. 

As Anakin steps off of the transport back onto Coruscant, he spots you almost immediately. You haven’t changed in five years, but you look a little wearier. His anxieties all dissipate as he watches your face when you see him, the way your face glows from within and the speed at which you launch yourself into his arms. 

“You waited for me,” he says in disbelief. 

“For you, Anakin Skywalker, I’d wait for a thousand exiles,” you respond, cradling his face between your palms and kissing him gently. And he understands, with perfect clarity, that he’ll be alright. 

You’ll both be alright.

[areyoufuckingcrazy]

“Shadows of Theed”

Boss (RC-1138) x Reader

Theed’s skyline shimmered under the afternoon sun, its golden domes reflecting the light in a display of serene beauty. Yet beneath this tranquil facade, tension simmered. The recent assassination attempts on Queen Jamillia and Senator Padmé Amidala had prompted the Royal Security Forces to request additional protection from the Republic.

You stood at attention in the palace courtyard, your crimson uniform crisp, hand resting on the hilt of your blaster. As a member of the Royal Naboo Guard, your duty was to protect the monarchy and its representatives. Today, that duty extended to welcoming the Republic’s elite clone commando unit: Delta Squad.

The low hum of a Republic gunship grew louder as it descended, kicking up dust and causing your cape to flutter. The ramp lowered, revealing four armored figures stepping out in formation.

Leading them was RC-1138, known as Boss. His orange-striped armor bore the marks of countless battles, and his posture exuded authority.

Behind him, RC-1140, or Fixer, moved with calculated precision. His green-accented armor was immaculate, and his visor scanned the surroundings methodically.

To Fixer’s left was RC-1207, Sev. His armor bore red markings resembling blood splatter, a reflection of his grim sense of humor and reputation as a fierce sniper.

Bringing up the rear was RC-1262, Scorch. His armor was marked with yellow accents, and he carried himself with a relaxed confidence.

As they approached, Boss stepped forward, his helmet concealing his expression.

“Sergeant RC-1138, reporting in,” he stated, his voice modulated through the helmet’s speaker. “Delta Squad is at your service.”

You offered a formal nod. “Welcome to Theed, Sergeant. I’m Lieutenant [Y/N], Royal Naboo Guard. We’ve been briefed on your assignment.”

Boss inclined his head slightly. “Understood. Our primary objective is to ensure the safety of Queen Jamillia and Senator Amidala.”

“Correct,” you affirmed. “We’ll coordinate patrols and share intelligence. Your squad will be integrated into our security protocols.”

Behind Boss, Scorch leaned slightly toward Sev and whispered, “Think they have any good caf here?”

Sev replied dryly, “As long as it doesn’t taste like ration packs, I’ll consider it a luxury.”

Fixer, without looking up from his wrist-mounted datapad, interjected, “Focus, Deltas. We’re here for a mission, not a vacation.”

Boss turned his head slightly. “Maintain discipline. We’re guests here.”

You raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement tugging at your lips. “Your squad has a unique dynamic.”

Boss’s tone remained neutral. “We operate efficiently.”

⸻

Over the next few days, Delta Squad integrated into the palace’s security framework. Joint patrols were established, and you found yourself frequently paired with Boss. His stoic nature made conversation sparse, but his presence was reassuring.

One evening, during a perimeter check, you decided to break the silence.

“Your squadmates have distinct personalities,” you observed.

Boss glanced at you. “They’re effective.”

“I’ve noticed,” you replied. “Scorch’s humor, Sev’s intensity, Fixer’s precision. And you—you’re the anchor.”

He paused, considering your words. “Leadership requires stability.”

You nodded. “It’s commendable.”

A brief silence settled before he spoke again. “Your team is well-trained.”

“Thank you,” you said. “We take pride in our duty.”

As the patrol continued, a comfortable silence enveloped you both, the foundation of mutual respect beginning to form.

⸻

The days turned into weeks, and the collaboration between your unit and Delta Squad deepened. Shared meals and joint exercises fostered camaraderie. Scorch’s jokes became a familiar background noise, Sev’s rare smirks were victories, and Fixer’s occasional nods signaled approval.

With Boss, the connection grew subtly. Shared glances during briefings, synchronized movements during drills, and the occasional exchange of dry humor.

One night, after a successful operation thwarting an assassination attempt, you found yourselves alone on a balcony overlooking Theed.

“The city’s peaceful tonight,” you remarked.

Boss nodded. “A welcome change.”

You turned to him. “Do you ever think about life beyond the war?”

He was silent for a moment. “Sometimes. But duty comes first.”

You smiled softly. “Always the soldier.”

He looked at you, his gaze intense. “It’s who I am.”

“And yet,” you said, stepping closer, “there’s more to you.”

He didn’t respond verbally, but the way his hand brushed against yours spoke volumes.

The city lights glittered below like the reflection of a thousand quiet thoughts. The silence between you and Boss wasn’t strained—it was gentle, natural. It had become that way over the last few weeks. You stood shoulder to shoulder, close enough to feel the warmth of his armor radiating softly through the Naboo evening chill.

His helmet was still on, the ever-present barrier between his world and yours. But something in his posture shifted, a subtle drop in his shoulders, a small exhale that sounded more like a sigh than static.

Then—quietly—he said, “It’s strange.”

You turned to look at him. “What is?”

“Peace.” A beat. “This planet. The quiet.” He paused, like he was deciding whether to say more. “I’m used to marching into warzones. Places that smell like carbon and blood. Where the air’s thick with ash and tension. But here… it’s almost too quiet. Makes you feel like… something could go wrong any second.”

You studied him for a moment, surprised he was sharing this. “Maybe it’s not that something will go wrong. Maybe it’s just that you’ve never known anything but chaos.”

There was a pause. Then, slowly, his hands came up to his helmet. You heard the hiss of pressure release before he pulled it off and cradled it against his side.

This was the first time you’d seen his face. You had imagined it—many times—but the reality was softer than you’d expected. Strong features, yes, but tired eyes. Eyes that had seen too much, too fast. He looked younger without the helmet, and older all at once.

He didn’t look at you right away. His gaze stayed fixed on the skyline.

“I don’t usually take it off,” he admitted. “Feels… exposed.”

You smiled gently. “You don’t have to explain. But thank you for trusting me.”

His eyes finally met yours then, sharp and searching, but not cold. “You’re different from the officers I’ve worked with before.”

“Good different?” you teased softly.

He didn’t smile, exactly—but something softened around his mouth. “Real different.”

You leaned against the railing beside him, your fingers brushing his. This time, he didn’t move away. He turned his hand slightly until his gloved pinky hooked around yours.

“I don’t know what happens after this assignment,” you said quietly. “But I know I’ll remember this. You.”

He nodded once. “Same.”

The moment stretched—not romantic in the overly dramatic way holodramas would tell it, but intimate in its honesty. The weight of your fingers against each other. The hush of the Naboo breeze. The flickering of torchlight behind you, and the way his gaze lingered on your face like he was memorizing it.

And then, with the kind of quiet confidence that came from someone who rarely acted on impulse, Boss leaned in slightly—slowly, giving you time to stop him if you wanted. His forehead came to rest gently against yours. It was a simple thing. No kiss, no dramatics. Just contact. Shared breath. A moment stolen from the endless march of duty.

“I can’t afford to be soft,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. “But you make me want to be.”

You closed your eyes, forehead still pressed to his. “Then let this be the place where you can.”

His hand, calloused and heavy, rose to cup the side of your neck for a second before falling away. Not because he didn’t want more—but because he wasn’t ready yet. And maybe you weren’t either. But that was okay. It was enough.

Tonight, it was enough.

[angelseraphines]

THE PHANTOM MENACE | CHAPTER TWO

“hollow corridors, burning skies.”

the grand room was carved for ceremony.

its domed ceiling stretched high above, carved with the emblems of naboo’s noble houses, suns, leaves, spirals, and stars, all gilded in soft gold and lacquered cream, reflecting the pale light that filtered through the vertical panes of the arched windows. at the center of the chamber, surrounded by marble columns and veils of red and bronze silk, sat queen padmé amidala.

she was motionless, poised upon her throne in the elevated seat of state, her dark robes shaped in sculpted folds like the wings of some regal bird. her headdress towered above her crown, edged with golden beads and nacre, her face painted in the traditional white of the queens of naboo, a red stripe centered on her lower lip and two rouge dots beneath each eye. the folds of her sleeves draped nearly to the floor, and a gleaming collar of jet beads encircled her throat. she looked distinctly not young, although she was hardly fourteen years of age. she looked timeless.

at her side, seated on a lower platform just beside the royal dais, was vasharre rharrellis. merely eight years old, she was dressed in robes of deep violet silk over silver-grey underlayers, the hem embroidered with curling motifs of starlight and moons, her house’s ancient symbols. her long black hair, parted and curled into a coiled half-crown, had been pinned with narrow silver clasps shaped as if they were nova stars. her pale hands rested, folded neatly, in her lap. she said nothing. she watched everything.

to most, she would have appeared ornamental, a noble girl in ceremonial dress. but those within the court knew better. she was the heiress of house rharrellis, daughter of the noble lord naem rharrellis, and since the departure of her brother for the jedi temple three years prior, she had become the sole heir to the family’s political legacy. her education had begun early. she had been present at meetings of the planetary council. had spoken once before the trade guild on the matter of treaty language. she knew the titles of every house lord on naboo. she could recite verbatim the peace charter of the galactic core systems.

and today, she was to observe.

the chamber was brimming with tension. ministers stood along the curved perimeter of the council tier. guards from naboo’s royal security forces lined the walls in burgundy and bronze armor. aides with dataslates moved between tables, whispering to each other in near silence. and near the foot of the queen’s throne, standing in guardianship, stood a tall, tanned woman with green eyes and dark brown hair twisted into a single heavy braid.

ebos. vasharre’s handmaiden. her guardian. her shadow. when lady darmah, her mother, had fallen ill, she would become a guardian figure to the young girl. she had never left her side since.

“there is no proof,” came the voice, sharpened by mechanical transmission.

viceroy nute gunray.

his hologram wavered in the center of the chamber’s projection circle, sinewy, robed, his angular neimoidian face unreadable, voice distorted through the translator. the hologram flashed in the sun-filtered gleam.

“we are innocent of this invasion,” he continued. “you have no evidence.”

queen amidala did not move.

her voice, when it came, was commanding.

“you will not be so easily absolved, viceroy,” she said. “our system is under siege. the trade federation’s ships have surrounded our world. and now you claim ignorance.”

“we do not recognize your accusations,” gunray replied. “there are no jedi here. no ambassadors were ever sent.”

a glint passed through the room, barely perceptible. vasharre saw the way padmé’s fingers tightened against the embellished edge of her throne. the queen’s breath remained calm. her expression betrayed nothing. but vasharre had known her since before she wore the paint of the crown. she recognized the silence for what it was, fury held still by duty.

and then the central console lit with a new transmission.

a shimmer of blue took shape within the holoprojector.

senator sheev palpatine of naboo.

the image crackled into view, his robes elegant and unassuming, his voice familiar and polished.

“your highness,” he said smoothly, his tone honeyed, “we have received your transmission. the chancellor is livid. i have been in contact with the jedi council. they assure me that two ambassadors were dispatched days ago. master qui-gon jinn and his padawan.”

queen amidala’s tone remained level.

“we have received no contact from them.”

palpatine offered a look of carefully calculated concern.

“then something is terribly wrong.”

naem rharrellis stood among the queen’s inner council, his hands folded before him. he did not speak, but vasharre saw the tension deepening the wrinkles etched on his face. she knew that he, once the senator of naboo himself, would have spoken already had the queen not requested extreme caution among the council for this session. but his eyes remained sharp. his stance coiled, prepared.

palpatine continued.

“there is concern among the senate. many are eager to avoid escalation. but i have already spoken on your behalf.”

“as has crown princess breha organa of alderaan,” a minister murmured from the side tier. “she and statesman bail prestor condemned the federation’s actions this morning.”

palpatine nodded.

“they were… passionate. but you must be careful, your highness. if you speak too forcefully, you will provoke accusations of aggression. you are known as a pacifist. let us not allow them to paint you as anything else.”

padmé said nothing.

and neither did vasharre.

but the queen’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

beneath the throne platform, her hands curled in despair in her lap.

the queen of naboo would not be painted. she would speak with the colors she chose.

and no blockade, no council, no federation would prevent her from protecting her people.

as the transmission faded, the image of senator palpatine dissolved into pale static and then vanished entirely, the holoprojector darkening with a soft hum.

the room did not stir.

no one spoke.

for a long period of time, only the distant whine of an outer corridor’s security system could be heard, and the muffled whir of a data console cycling through failed transmission logs.

padmé amidala remained seated, elegant and poised, though her painted expression betrayed nothing. her fingers, folded in her lap atop the heavy beading of her robe, trembled so steadily that only someone watching very closely would have noticed.

vasharre did.

from her position at the queen’s side, she could feel the change, not in the atmosphere, but in the people. ministers exchanging glances without moving their heads. the governor’s chief aide biting the inside of her lip. one of the palace guards repositioning his stance a little too deliberately.

it was not fear.

not yet.

but it was its beginning.

lord naem rharrellis was seated at his place in the queen’s inner circle, hands folded within the long sleeves of his robe, his posture formal but taut. his gaze was on the console, though his eyes were distant. vasharre, watching him in her periphery, saw the minute way his shoulders had drawn inward. he had not spoken during the transmission, out of respect for the queen’s authority, but she knew her father. knew that he had once raised his voice against half the senate to protect the integrity of naboo’s neutrality in the border disputes. and he was not one to silence himself without cause.

the cause was trepidation.

not of war.

but of what he did not yet understand.

“this is a trap,” one of the councilors murmured, voice hardly audible beneath his breath.

padmé’s gaze veered subtly toward him, then back to the blank space where palpatine’s image had hovered only moments ago.

“we must appeal again to the senate,” she said.

the minister of transport spoke next, his tone more strained than before.

“we’ve sent multiple transmissions already. the trade routes have been jammed. they’re delaying recognition of our position, stalling until we give them a reason to legitimize the blockade.”

padmé lifted her head by a degree, voice tranquil, as always.

“then we will not give them one.”

vasharre’s hands folded more securely in her lap.

she had heard this tone in padmé before. it was not pride. not naivety. it was resolve.

resolve that did not waver, even when all logic said to bend.

ebos moved quietly to vasharre’s side. she did not speak, only placed one hand lightly on the back of the girl’s chair. it was a gesture meant to reassure, but vasharre’s spine remained stiff.

the nova star at her collarbone felt heavier than it should.

the doors to the chamber slid open with a hiss.

a palace security officer stepped in, helmet under one arm.

he approached the queen’s dais, bowed once at the waist, and spoke low.

“your highness… long-range comms have failed again. and we’ve detected atmospheric entry signatures.”

padmé stood.

slowly.

and the entire room began to move.

vasharre followed as ordered, standing from her seat and falling into formation behind the queen with the other handmaidens.

and as they moved together toward the exit of the chamber, toward the storm that had not yet broken but already surrounded the, vasharre felt, for the first time in her young life, the future narrow to a single point.

they were going to lose something quite precious.

they did not yet know what.

*:･ﾟ���*:･ﾟ✧

the light of theed had changed.

once bright and dappled through the high columns of theed’s royal square, it had grown grey, muted behind the veil of heavy clouds and the thick metallic shadow cast by the blockade vessels overhead. outside the grand windows of the royal palace, the skyline of naboo had shifted from elegance to occupation. the wide plazas and flowering archways were silent now, patrolled by rows of bronze-plated battle droids. the air smelled faintly of scorched stone and ozone.

the capital had fallen.

the droid army had moved swiftly through theed, their tanks flattening the outer districts in waves of mechanical precision. resistance had been brief, scattered. the royal security forces had fought valiantly, but they were outmatched, and the chain of command had fractured within hours. transmission lines were severed. government channels silenced. and before noon, the palace had been surrounded.

they had come for the queen.

and they had taken them all.

vasharre rharrellis stood among the captured delegation now, the young heiress, dressed no longer in the full regalia of ceremony, but still wearing the violet silks of the court, her hair pinned in the half-crown that ebos had styled that morning. her pendant, the nova star, still rested against her collarbone. she clutched it now without even thinking, the silver warm in her palm from the heat of her skin.

her breath was shallow.

they were being marched through the corridor beneath the grand staircase, flanked by droids on both sides, each clanking step echoing off the stone. vasharre tried not to show fear, but her throat was tight, and her stomach burned with the cold churn of dread.

she had not seen her father since the alarms had sounded.

she had not seen lady hiarmen either, or the young lady avella otrikus, hedna kanve, or the other members of naboo nobility who had stayed within the walls of the theed palace.

all of them had been within the council chamber when the invasion began. the last she had heard, they had sealed themselves in the inner wing of the palace along with the governor and several of the senior advisors. but that was hours ago. the power had flashed. the comms had cut. and then there was nothing.

she worried what that that absence meant.

a hand brushed hers lightly.

vasharre turned.

padmé.

or rather, the handmaiden who was padmé, but not truly.

padmé naberrie, her sister in all but blood, now played the role of a royal attendant, head bowed, eyes forward. her real identity remained hidden behind the face of sabé, who stood ahead in full regalia, draped in red and black with the white-painted mask of sovereignty. no one but vasharre, and perhaps only the most trusted of the other handmaidens, knew the truth.

but even now, padmé’s hand hung beside hers, a serene tether.

“they will not harm you,” she murmured, her voice soft so that the droids would not hear. “keep walking. do not be afraid.”

vasharre did not answer.

she could not.

the dread in her chest was not for herself.

it was for her father, lord naem rharrellis, who had once stood at the heart of the galactic senate, who had once held her hand beneath the high banners of their estate and told her she would one day know the balance between words and power.

it was for her cousin, lady hiarmen, mysterious and steel-tongued, who had whispered sharp truths at formal dinners and taught vasharre how to see past smiles.

it was for ebos, who even now walked a step behind her, tall and still, her green eyes tracking every droid as though daring them to so much as raise a weapon.

it was for her world.

naboo was beautiful.

and she could feel that beauty slipping from her reach akin to breath from glass.

the queen, sabé, pretending, walked ahead, back straight, lips sealed in an expression of imperial calm. beside her, the viceroy’s envoy hovered, voice gliding with well-rehearsed courtesy.

“your highness,” nute gunray intoned through the thick distortion of his translator device, “we assure you, we are here only to bring order. the treaty is a formality.”

sabé did not respond.

she walked as a queen should, unchanged, unmoved.

the viceroy continued.

“it will be easier,” he said, his tone oily, “if you cooperate. the galactic senate will recognize the treaty if you sign it.”

they had reached the base of the staircase.

vasharre looked up.

she knew these steps well, the golden marble inlay, the torch sconces spaced evenly along the walls, the high dome at the landing overhead with the stylized sunburst of naboo carved into the stone. it had always felt like a place of safety.

now it was a cage.

one of the droids barked a mechanical order in its warbled dialect.

the group halted.

sabé turned slowly, robes trailing, her headdress catching the dim light.

vasharre’s heart was pounding so loudly she could feel it in her fingertips.

the viceroy stepped forward once more, this time with a datapad in hand.

“we simply need your signature, your highness. then we can ensure your people’s safety.”

padmé’s fingers tightened lightly around vasharre’s hand.

sabé’s voice came calm, formidable.

“i will not cooperate with a criminal occupation.”

gunray hesitated.

even he had not expected defiance spoken aloud.

the droids stiffened.

but sabé, queen in mask, did not flinch.

vasharre watched in silence, and behind the mask of her composure, her terror sharpened.

her father might already be gone.

her people might already be broken.

and the queen she served might already be risking her life for a choice that would lead to their demise or save them all.

one of the battle droids at the head of the column turned abruptly toward the grand staircase, its mechanical hands clutching its rifle in sudden alert. others followed, craning their heads toward the wide archway above the steps. the red glow of scanning sensors pulsed as they read motion, heat, the unmistakable presence of something alive.

there was a hiss.

not of steam, nor machine, but something fiercer, more final.

the queen, sabé, donning the disguise of royalty, halted. the handmaidens stopped behind her. captain panaka, standing to the side of the party, altered imperceptibly, one hand easing toward the grip of his sidearm, though the surrounding droids had not yet given clearance to draw.

vasharre, close at padmé’s side, held her breath.

they dropped from above.

two figures, cloaked and swift, descended through the archway in a flurry of fabric and movement, landing on the polished marble with the poise of creatures long trained for war. their boots struck the floor with resounding force, and before the droids could compute the action, the first of the two ignited his weapon.

a shaft of green light erupted from the hilt in his hand.

it split the shadows of the chamber like lightning.

the second followed, blue blade extending with a low hum.

the battle droids began to raise their rifles, but the blades were already in motion.

the one with the green saber, a tall man, long-haired and composed, robes dusty from travel, moved first, cutting through the first droid in a single strike, then pivoting on his heel to sever the weapon from a second before slicing it clean through the torso. his movements were disciplined, controlled, as though his very breath was in rhythm with the force itself.

master qui-gon jinn.

vasharre recognized the name the instant she heard the others call to him.

she had known the name through political memory, through court whispers and council transcripts. the last padawan of grandmaster soluke rharrellis, her great-uncle. a link to her own bloodline, and to the temple that had taken her brother. but until this day, she had never seen him.

and she had never seen him.

the second fighter, no, not a jedi master, a padawan, was younger. leaner. his hair was cropped short, save for the thin padawan braid behind his right ear. his jaw was set with focus, his blue eyes trained not on one enemy, but all of them. his saber moved in elegant arcs, cutting through droid limbs, redirecting bolts with precision. his movements were not as raw as his master’s, they were precise, methodical, deeply trained.

he moved without reluctance.

he stepped in front of vasharre.

only for a beat.

one of the droids had leveled its blaster at the queen’s platform. she did not see it. nor did padmé.

but he did.

he adjusted his stance, angled his shoulder, and with one clean sweep of his blade, he deflected the bolt. it struck the wall behind them. and then his saber cut through the droid’s rifle and chassis in the same breath.

he turned, eyes sweeping the royal line to ensure all were safe.

and vasharre looked up at him.

his features, even amid the chaos, were unmistakable, clear blue eyes, focused and serious, a mouth drawn tight with concentration but not anger, hair that caught the ambient light in copper-brown glints, a face not yet marked by age but already shaped by discipline. he was no older than his early twenties, but there was something deeply still in his presence. not cold. only peaceful. only honed.

her breath caught in her throat.

not because he was handsome, though he was, undeniably, but because he had placed himself between her and death without hesitation.

the battle ended in mere seconds.

the final droid collapsed with a screech of split metal, its torso sparking as it fell in two pieces.

the queen’s guard stood stunned.

captain panaka moved first, drawing his weapon fully now.

“master jedi,” he said, breath intense with relief.

qui-gon, blade smoldering and lit, turned to sabé.

“my padawan learner, obi-wan kenobi and myself are here to protect you, your highness,” he said. “we’ll take you to coruscant.”

sabé did not break character.

“thank you, ambassador,” she said.

obi-wan moved toward panaka.

“we must make for the main hangar,” he said briskly. “we can fly past the blockade if we move now.”

panaka nodded.

“this way.”

ebos placed a hand on vasharre’s shoulder, steadying her.

but vasharre’s eyes remained fixed on the jedi who had shielded her.

qui-gon turned to the group.

“stay close. we leave now.”

and together, they moved.

the queen. the handmaidens. the heiress of house rharrellis. the guard. the jedi.

they passed through the lower archways and toward the palace’s inner corridor.

and as the light from the hangar doors came into view, the world began to change.

the split second they stepped through the final archway, the scale of it opened around them, an enormous domed chamber of stone and durasteel, lined with royal starfighters and maintenance scaffolds, fuel pods, and the polished chrome gleam of the royal starship anchored at the far end. above, the tall hangar doors were half-drawn, their great panels groaning faintly as the afternoon wind swept dust and ash through the open slats.

and they were not alone.

a squad of battle droids had already formed a perimeter.

more were filing in from the southern corridor, their heads pivoting in sharp clicks toward the incoming group. the hiss of servos, the sound of heavy mechanical feet striking the metal flooring, vasharre heard all of it in rising waves. her heartbeat quickened again, but this time she kept her head high. not because she was not afraid, but because she had seen what the jedi could do. because she had seen what he had done.

qui-gon’s voice rang through the hangar.

“stay behind us.”

he did not shout.

he did not need to.

captain panaka lifted his blaster and fired the first shot.

the droids returned fire instantly, and then the hangar roared with the pulse of combat.

green and red bolts crisscrossed the open floor. one struck the wall just above the queen’s shoulder, leaving a scorching black mark in the otherwise pristine duracrete. handmaidens scattered to the side, drawing small concealed blasters from beneath their robes. they did not panic. they had trained for this.

vasharre saw padmé move with stable control, her hands steady, eyes observant. she was young, but she moved like someone who had already decided her courage would outweigh her terror.

and ahead of them, the jedi moved.

qui-gon surged first, saber cutting through the nearest wave of droids. his blade was a blur, deflecting blaster fire back into the chests of the machines who had fired it. sparks burst like fireflies. limbs fell smoking to the floor. he advanced without hesitation.

obi-wan flanked him to the right, faster, closer to the ground, striking with swift, decisive strokes. his cloak had come loose at the shoulder, trailing behind him as he moved. his eyes remained fixed on the advancing line of droids, his saber catching bolt after bolt and returning them with clean, sharp counterstrokes. his expression was unreadable, focused to the point of stillness. vasharre could not look away.

in the frenzy, another figure stood near the edges of the group, awkward, towering, and visibly alarmed. the gungan the jedi had rescued earlier in the swamps outside theed had remained close to master jinn throughout the escape. his long ears drooped in agitation as he shuffled after the group with clumsy urgency, muttering anxiously beneath his breath. he flinched at every blaster mark scorched into the floor and nearly tripped over a fallen droid limb before catching himself. she watched him hurry after the jedi, clearly unsure where he should be, but unwilling to be left behind. the others paid him little mind, but he stayed close all the same, his webbed hands flailing whenever he stumbled.

the skirmish was over in under a minute.

the last droid fell in two pieces at qui-gon’s feet.

the hangar fell quiet again, save for the buzzing whirr of engines powering up across the floor.

panaka was already waving them forward.

“this way,” he called. “get to the ship.”

they moved as one, sabé continued to lead, the handmaidens followed close behind, padmé walked at her side. vasharre trailed between them, her breath ragged in her chest.

the royal starship stood gleaming in the far alcove of the hangar, its surface polished to mirror-finish, a ship built for diplomacy and statecraft, not war. the landing ramp had already begun to descend, hydraulics whining softly.

sabé slowed as they neared.

she turned, pausing at the base of the ramp.

“we should not leave,” she said. her voice was forceful, but laced with something that pulled at the tension around her. “our people are suffering. i cannot abandon them.”

“your highness,” panaka warned. “we must go. now.”

sabé’s eyes swept the forlorn hangar.

“we are needed here.”

padmé stepped forward.

“your highness,” she said, and though she kept the tone of a servant, her words held significance. “the handmaidens are prepared. we are not afraid. you must go. the people need you alive. if we stay, we will be captured. if we leave, we can return with help.”

sabé held her gaze.

for a minute, the decision trembled in the balance.

then she nodded.

vasharre had not realized she had stopped moving until she felt ebos’s hand touch the center of her back, urging her forward. she turned slightly, her eyes falling on the high entry corridor they had emerged from.

her father.

her family.

her lineage.

the capital.

all of it was still there.

but she was not.

she felt the ache in her chest expand, twisting upward into her throat. she said nothing. she had no words for this kind of fear. she had read of war. had spoken the names of treaties. had recited the histories of conflicts and successions. but she had never known what it was to leave behind the people you loved, uncertain whether they would survive the hour.

she faltered for a juncture at the base of the ramp.

he was beside her.

obi-wan kenobi did not speak.

he only stood between her and the fading corridor, blue saber grasped in hand, eyes on the horizon of the open hangar.

she looked up at him.

and despite everything, she felt the fright lessen.

only scarcely.

but enough.

she stepped ahead.

the ramp groaned beneath their feet as they climbed.

and the door sealed behind them with a low hydraulic hiss.

the royal starship shuddered as it rose into the atmosphere.

vasharre held tightly to the curved brace of the observation railing, her fingers gripping the cool steel as the ship’s ascent tilted her balance. the chamber around her vibrated with the mounting pressure of acceleration. the smooth naboo floor, once hushed, once ceremonial, now thrummed with the violence of propulsion.

outside the window, the pale blue sky of naboo had turned silver with clouds. those clouds broke into black. the shadow of the blockade loomed above them.

the ship pushed through the clouds, past the stratosphere, toward the waiting line of trade federation vessels. their massive structures hovered like floating citadels, geometrically perfect and impossibly cold. vasharre had seen them in holograms. but nothing had prepared her for the size of them in the sky. they were not ships. they were prisons.

the first shots came before they breached orbit.

a tremor ran through the hull.

a red warning sigil blinked into view along the wall-mounted display, followed by a secondary alert in the pilot’s chamber.

captain panaka’s voice broke across the comm.

“incoming fire, portside shields active, holding for now.”

the floor vibrated sharply.

vasharre stumbled, catching herself against the far end of the bench behind her.

padmé, still in handmaiden disguise, steadied the tray she had been carrying. across the room, ebos moved fast to shield her from the bulkhead, her willowy frame instinctively placing herself between her charge and the exterior wall.

a second blast hit, harder this time.

the lights blinked.

outside, brilliant streaks of green light cut across the dark expanse of the upper atmosphere. fighter drones peeled from the blockade’s flanks, twisting toward them with predatory precision. turbolaser fire struck across their shield perimeter in flashes that left afterimages across the viewport.

inside the ship, the air had grown heavier.

vasharre could feel it.

not terror.

not entirely.

something deeper, something closer to gravity.

the shields trembled again.

this time, they beamed.

a chorus of voices rang through the ship’s systems, alerts, damage assessments, system fluctuations.

“main shield generator is hit, outer deflection matrix compromised…”

“rerouting power…”

“loss of secondary shield layer…”

impact.

a jolt ripped through the vessel, knocking several of the guards from their footing.

a panel on the upper wall sparked.

the artificial gravity momentarily destabilized before stabilizing again with a low pulse from the subfloor unit.

sabé, acting as queen amidala, gripped the edge of her seat.

panaka’s voice, urgent now, crackled over the comm again.

“we’ve lost the deflector shield, direct line to the hyperdrive exposed, repeat, shields are down!”

for one long minute, the ship dropped.

only meters.

but it dropped.

the air inside thickened with the sound of klaxons and system diagnostics. every passenger on board knew what that drop meant.

they were no longer protected.

vasharre looked up swiftly, her stomach clenched. she could feel the panic crawling at the edge of her throat, but she did not allow it to reach her eyes.

she was of house rharrellis.

she did not weep in front of strangers.

abruptly, a voice, one of the engineers, half-incredulous, rang out from the chamber below the corridor.

“we’ve got a droid on the hull, astromech, he’s stabilizing the unit!”

sabé turned her head.

obi-wan entered from the command deck, followed closely by qui-gon and panaka.

beside them rolled a small, dome-headed astromech droid, burnished silver and blue, panels slightly scorched from exposure, his domed head spinning in steady beeps and chirps of status confirmation.

panaka looked toward the queen.

“we had four astromechs,” he said. “this one was the only one that made it.”

obi-wan nodded, his face marked with soot, his hair wind-swept from the emergency deployment.

“he restored auxiliary power. realigned the deflection coupling manually. the ship would not have survived the next blast otherwise.”

the little droid made a low chirrup.

sabé stood.

she walked toward the droid, her heavy ceremonial sleeves trailing as she did. her painted face did not betray surprise, nor emotion, only the calm regality expected of her.

“he is to be commended,” she said.

she turned to the handmaidens.

“clean this droid,” she said curtly. “see to it that he is repaired and polished.”

padmé stepped to the front without waiting.

“yes, your highness.”

qui-gon approached the queen.

“we need to land,” he said. “the hyperdrive is leaking energy. we will not make it to coruscant without refueling and repairs.”

“where?” sabé asked.

“tatooine,” he said. “a small outer rim world. remote. no federation presence. local merchants. enough to find a part.”

“that planet is dangerous,” panaka said. “the hutts control the system.”

qui-gon met his gaze warily.

“so do the traders. and it is outside the federation’s control. it’s our best chance.”

sabé was still for a moment.

then she gave a single nod.

“very well. proceed.”

padmé had already exited toward the auxiliary deck, r2-d2 rolling at her side.

vasharre watched her go.

the ship rumbled again as the course correction began. the stars outside shifted slowly as the vessel angled toward its new vector.

vasharre paused only shortly before she turned, following the hall in the direction padmé had gone.

when she reached the droid maintenance alcove, the hum of tools greeted her.

padmé had a cloth in hand, wiping the soot from the side of the droid’s chassis. r2 whistled contentedly, blinking and rotating his head as she worked.

vasharre walked closer, her steps devoid of sound.

“he saved us,” she whispered.

padmé looked up.

there was soot smudged at her wrist.

“he did.”

vasharre placed a hand tenderly on the edge of the workbench.

“does he have a name?”

“r2-d2.”

the droid let out a low, proud trill.

vasharre smiled, the expression small but sincere.

she reached forward, ran her fingers along the newly-polished edge of his dome.

“thank you.”

r2 turned his head toward her.

chirped once.

and for the first time in what felt like hours, vasharre felt something settle in her chest.

not relief.

but the first trace of hope.

the transmission alert blinked faintly on the side console.

it was nearly missed among the navigation reports and automated course corrections now flooding the ship’s systems. the royal starship had leveled from its steep escape climb, and the noise of battle had long since faded into a steady hum of interstellar passage. most aboard had retreated to their chambers or assigned alcoves. engineers were buried in maintenance reports. the handmaidens had begun checking the supplies that remained. padmé, still in her veil of servitude, had returned to the astromech chamber to continue tending to r2-d2.

vasharre had stayed behind near the corridor hub, her hands loosely clasped, her mind circling the images of that afternoon, her father’s last glance across the throne room before the palace fell, the last words she had heard from the ministers, the sudden thrum of escape beneath her feet. it was not silent in her mind. nothing about this journey was quiet.

but then the console light pulsed again.

soft.

green.

incoming.

her eyes moved to it without expectation.

and then she saw the identification line.

rharrellis-seal-transmission-alpha.

her breath stopped.

padmé was at her side in seconds, alerted by the shift in vasharre’s expression. she followed her gaze to the console and recognized the seal at once.

without words, without hesitation, the two of them turned and made for the private viewing chamber at the rear of the ship.

they entered without summoning anyone else. the guards remained stationed in the corridor. ebos, ever vigilant, allowed the girl her moment. the chamber lights dimmed automatically as the door sealed behind them, leaving only the low metallic glow of the holographic pad.

vasharre pressed the activation key with fingers that trembled more than she meant them to.

the projection flashed into being.

and there he was.

naem rharrellis, lord of house rharrellis, former senator of naboo, once guardian of the galactic senate floor, now a trapped voice beneath a field of static and light.

his face was weary. the hardships of sleepless hours pulled at his features, and the wrinkled lines around his eyes had deepened. but he was alive.

and he was speaking.

“vasharre,” his voice echoed, stable and serious. “padmé.”

the sound of his voice broke something beneath her ribs.

padmé took a step forward.

“you’re alive.”

naem bowed his head.

“for now. theed has not fallen completely. the central wing is sealed. the palace is occupied, yes, but we remain fortified in the governor’s hall.”

vasharre moved forward so that the projection caught her full face. her hands were now at her sides, clenched in trembling fists.

“father,” she said, her voice breaking softly, “we thought… we didn’t know if…”

“i know,” he said gently. “i feared the same of you.”

his pale eyes passed between her and padmé.

“you are both safe?”

padmé nodded once.

“the jedi rescued us. we are en route to coruscant.”

“and the others?” vasharre asked quickly. “hiarmen?”

naem’s expression softened with vague surprise, then reassurance.

“she is unharmed. she’s taken shelter with pavanak at their estate in the southern lake provinces. his age makes travel difficult, so they have not attempted evacuation. for now, they are thankfully untouched.”

vasharre exhaled once. the tension in her chest shifted, but did not release.

padmé’s voice came next.

“and avella?”

naem’s gaze moved to her.

“she is with me. as are hedna kanve, the governor, and several others, ministers, nobles, aides. we are holding ground within the primary council chamber. the trade forces have locked the corridors, but they’ve not breached the doors. the blockade is preventing communication from reaching beyond naboo. i am sending this message through an encrypted senate relay, piggybacking off the queen’s vessel signal. it may be the last message i can send.”

padmé’s hands clenched in the folds of her skirt.

“she was frightened,” padmé said, her voice sorrowful. “avella. before we were taken. she looked at me before the doors closed. i promised her i would return.”

the mention of avella conjured something nebulous in vasharre’s thoughts. she could picture her, brown-haired, with round eyes akin to indigo crystals, always standing a few feet apart from the court yet never forgotten within it. though she had been raised by the naberrie family after the death of her parents, avella carried herself with the soft dignity of someone born to nobility and tempered by grief. she was delicate in the way a decorated window was dainty, elegant, rare, but not easily broken. vasharre had at times caught sight of her in the council halls and garden promenades, sensing in her a gentler strength that most failed to bear.

naem’s eyes, grave and understanding, rested on her a while longer.

“she will wait,” he said. “she is strong. raised by your kin, is she not?”

padmé nodded her head once. she did not speak. not yet.

vasharre felt the next question forming before she could stop it.

“are they… hurting anyone?”

naem’s expression changed, subtly. the kind of change that came not from deceit, but from withholding pain.

“they are enforcing martial presence. shipments are blocked. docks are closed. food is scarce in the city proper. the outer settlements are faring worse. i receive no reports from the western continent. it is likely the blockade has severed all aid corridors.”

padmé looked up immediately.

“they are starving our people.”

“yes.”

vasharre’s became agitated. her fingers wrapped unconsciously around the pendant at her neck, the nova star glowing against her white skin.

“we must return,” she said. “we cannot leave them…”

“you must not return yet,” naem interrupted. “i say this as your father. as the leader of house rharrellis. surrender cannot happen. if we sign anything under their terms, it will not be peace. it will be precedent. the trade federation will devour world after world behind the mask of bureaucracy. this must be challenged before the senate.”

padmé nodded.

“we go to coruscant for that reason.”

naem’s projection faded as the transmission weakened.

“padmé,” he said. “you are as a daughter to me. i trust you. with her. with our planet. do what must be done.”

he turned his gaze to vasharre once more.

“sharre.”

the name, soft and delicate, spoken only in times where duty did not interfere with love.

she stepped closer.

“i am proud of you,” he said. “and i am with you. forever.”

the projection shivered again.

vasharre wanted to speak, but the light collapsed before she could.

the chamber darkened.

emptiness returned.

padmé placed a hand softly on her shoulder.

vasharre did not turn.

but she did not cry.

she only stood motionless.

and the glimmering stars outside the ship kept moving.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

from the vantage of the starship, high above the outer rim hyperspace lanes, the view beyond the curved durasteel windows no longer shimmered with the silver sheen of naboo’s skies. now, the cosmos was endless, an ocean of darkness, broken only by the faint blue pulse of passing starlight and the wide, luminous trails of hyperspace drifting in long, ghostly ribbons across the void. it was a silence that bordered on unnatural. a silence that pressed against the windows and sealed itself across the hull, as though the galaxy were holding its breath.

inside the ship, the lights had been dimmed.

most aboard had long since gone to rest, their forms tucked into modest sleeping chambers scattered across the inner deck. the engineers had powered down the repair systems. the handmaidens, exhausted by the weight of the day, had retired without ceremony. even r2-d2 had been placed in a corner alcove, his blinking sensors dimmed to a soft, idle rhythm. the royal quarters remained sealed, the false queen still cloaked in ritual rest, her face scrubbed clean of ceremonial paint for the first time in days.

and beneath the solitude, in one of the smaller diplomatic guest rooms near the aft corridor, vasharre slept.

the room was modest in size but finely appointed. smooth walls of cream-tinted durasteel were inlaid with bronze moldings, carved in floral motifs. a slender silver fixture at the ceiling’s center gave off a soft amber glow, now dimmed to narrowly a glint. beneath it, a narrow bed was set into the wall, framed by curved paneling and a velvet-wrapped headboard, pale violet in tone. one small desk rested against the far end, beside a polished drawer table and a vast, shuttered window looking out into space. there were no personal decorations. only the presence of a warm blanket, folded neatly at the end of the mattress, and the figure curled beneath it.

vasharre’s midnight-black hair spilled across the silken pillowcase, her breathing slow but uneven.

she did not sleep deeply.

she did not sleep peacefully.

beneath the weight of her lashes, her eyes blinked, small, rapid movements. her fingers meandered in toward her palms. her breath caught and became erratic, intense and unsettled.

and within her dreaming mind, there was no comfort.

only heat.

darkness.

and red.

she did not know what it was she saw.

it had no name, no shape.

only color, burning black, impossibly deep, and streaked through with veins of crimson, pulsing like blood. it moved without rhythm. it breathed without air. it surged around her like fire and smoke, but there was no flame, no warmth. only fury. it howled not in sound, but in sensation, a rage so vast it drowned the air from her lungs and pressed against her chest with the weight of something ancient and cruel and unrelenting.

she tried to scream.

but her voice was sealed.

she tried to run.

but there was no floor beneath her feet.

only space.

only stars.

only pain.

she woke.

her body jerked and she lurched forward. her shoulders tensing, a cry caught sharp behind her teeth.

the room was dreadfully dark.

the silence was real again.

for a period of time, she could not breathe.

her chest rose in short, shallow gasps, her eyes wide and unfocused as they adjusted to the dim light. the nightmare clung to her, not as a memory, but as a burden, festering around her lungs like a whisper that had not yet finished speaking. her pale skin was cold, her hands damp with sweat. the pillow beneath her had fallen askew.

she turned her head.

ebos was there.

her handmaiden sat beside the door, not in a bed but in the old soldier’s rest, a straight-backed chair, her long frame tilted slightly, chin tucked to her shoulder. her braid had loosened at the end, one hand resting near the handle of the small blaster holstered discreetly beneath her cloak. she had fallen asleep sitting up, watchful to the last.

vasharre didn’t call out to her.

she didn’t speak.

instead, she turned around, drawing back the blanket from her lap. the room was frigid, but she did not tremble. her feet touched the smooth floor with no sound. she rose, adjusting the hem of her nightrobe, and stepped cautiously toward the corridor door. her hand passed over the sensor panel, and the metal slid open with a faint hydraulic hiss.

ebos did not wake.

vasharre stepped into the darkened hallway.

the air was cooler here, tinged with the antiseptic smell of well-maintained ships, polished metal, filtered oxygen, the faintest trace of engine plasma and recycled heat. overhead, the lights had been dimmed to their nighttime setting, deep violet panels casting low shadows across the corridor floor, creating a dreamscape of hollow silence and shifting gleam.

she walked gradually.

barefoot.

alone.

the nightmare seared in her thoughts.

but now the anguish was reality.

and the ship carried her onward into stars that did not speak.

the corridor outside the navigation deck was long and dim, brushed in soft blue light that spilled from the hyperspace current beyond the curved transparisteel windows. no noise accompanied her footsteps. the floor beneath her was smoothed durasteel, cool beneath the soles of her feet, and the air smelled somewhat of ozone and oiled mechanics. the ship was quiet, truly quiet now, not only with sleep, but with the kind of silence that settles over a vessel between stars, when the engines are stable, the course is clear, and nothing on board stirs without purpose.

vasharre strode slowly, her robe trailing lightly behind her. she had not dressed for wandering, nor had she intended to leave her quarters for long. but her feet, once set in motion, had carried her forward without resistance. she had passed through the sleeping corridor, turned past the starboard auxiliary cabin, and followed a passage she had never studied, her hand grazing the wall as though it might guide her somewhere safer than the echo of the nightmare lodged in her chest.

it was there, at the end of the corridor, that she saw him.

he stood near the central control console of the maintenance alcove, his posture upright but unhurried, his head bowed as he examined the monitor before him. he was alone. the glow of the console bathed his face in faint silver, the light catching the edge of his cheekbone and the subtle bronze-gold tones in his short hair. his cloak was folded over one arm, and his free hand rested near the base of the communication display. a thin band of blue light flickered up from the base of the transmission disc, revealing the translucent figure of a man vasharre recognized only by voice.

“we cannot allow this delay to cost us what little ground we have,” the hologram said. “the blockade’s presence in the mid-rim is shifting. we must remain ahead of it.”

the voice was serious and purposeful.

it belonged to master qui-gon jinn.

the younger man responded with calm precision, though there was a dryness to his tone, the kind that carried the faintest edge of unspoken opinion.

“we are not delayed, master,” he said. “we are en route to coruscant with the queen, the delegation, and the surviving nobility. we have adapted to every shift in your path.”

the hologram spoke nothing, but the change in its posture suggested restraint.

the young padawan deactivated the communication panel a moment later, ending the exchange without ceremony. the hologram flickered out. the alcove dimmed again. the only sound remaining was the ambient thrum of the starship and the distant hum of the reactor core.

he turned then.

his eyes landed on her.

he did not startle.

he assessed her with the kind of poised vigilance that suggested he had already sensed her presence moments before his eyes confirmed it. the blue light caught the slope of his jaw and the curve of his shoulders. his silhouette was lean and composed, shaped not by idle strength but by years of measured training. his tunic was worn without ostentation, his lightsaber clipped precisely to the leather of his belt.

when he spoke, his voice was hushed, formal.

“my lady.”

his tone held no amusement, but neither was it cold. there was something stable about it, something trained, as though every word was placed with care. he inclined his head slightly, not bowing, but acknowledging her presence with a reverence appropriate to her title.

she did not answer immediately.

her breath caught in her throat. she had not meant to see him again, not like this, not alone. he was not what she had expected a jedi to be. she had imagined someone older. someone remote. someone towering and unapproachable. instead, he was young, perhaps only two decades or so in age, and yet carried himself with the unshakable calm of someone far beyond his years.

his eyes, a crystalline blue, held no condescension. only inquiry.

“you could not sleep?” he asked, softly.

she shook her head. her voice felt thin.

“no.”

he did not press her for more.

“that is not uncommon,” he said. “dreams often grow troubled when the soul is unsettled.”

she hesitated, her hands curling at her sides. she had not expected him to speak as though her fears were valid. she had expected dismissal, perhaps even mild rebuke. instead, he looked at her with the expression of someone who understood that sleep could be broken by things words could not name.

she looked at him more carefully now.

his hair, short but neatly parted, bore the traditional padawan braid, auburn with a streak of gold near the end, tied with grace. his features were refined, but not delicate. there was a kind of carved strength to them, a discipline that showed not in his physique, but in the way he held his shoulders, in the set of his mouth. there was no boyish arrogance in him. he was not unkind, but he was not soft.

“you are padawan kenobi,” she said.

he inclined his head again, an obscured trace of acknowledgement in his expression.

“obi-wan kenobi, apprentice to master qui-gon jinn. at your service, my lady rharrellis.”

her throat tightened.

“you… you saved me.”

he did not respond with pride.

“i protected a child in danger,” he said simply. “that is the duty of any jedi.”

“so i was only a duty.”

he looked at her now with a touch more clarity. not sternness. not pity. something more delicate. something more understanding than she had expected from a warrior.

“you are a citizen of naboo. you are a noble daughter of one of the oldest houses in the galaxy. you are your father’s child. that makes you many things. it does not make you only a duty.”

her breath caught again, but for a different reason.

he had not raised his voice.

he had not reached for reassurance.

but something in his words settled the painful ache in her chest that the nightmare had left behind.

he straightened, the folds of his tunic moving with the transition of his posture.

“it is not safe to wander the ship alone,” he said. “even in peace, it is easy to lose direction. would you allow me to walk you back to your quarters?”

she thought twice, then nodded.

he moved beside her, adjusting his pace so that it matched hers, neither too slow nor too fast, perfectly even. they walked without speaking for a time. the corridor lights shifted gently as they passed, illuminating the blue-silver sheen of the ship’s walls and the smooth elegance of its design.

she glanced at him once, from beneath her lashes.

his gaze was set forward, his shoulders square, his presence calm.

and she felt, for the first time in hours, that she was safe.

not because the danger was gone.

but because he had stood between her and it.

and he would again.

their footfalls were muffled by the corridor’s cushioned flooring, the ship humming low around them in its gliding passage through hyperspace. the artificial lights overhead remained dim, softened to a gentle golden hue that barely brushed the upper edges of the walls, casting elongated shadows that flickered and disappeared with each step they took. ahead, the curve of the passage bent toward the sleeping quarters assigned to the royal attendants and honored guests.

vasharre remained half a pace behind him, watching how he moved. there was something precise in the way he walked, not stiff, but impossibly measured. every step taken with confidence, his hands folded behind his back, posture straight but never performative. there was no vanity in the way he carried himself. only a practiced stillness, as if every breath he took had once been part of a lesson.

she wanted to ask him something else, anything, really. wanted to find a reason to make the walk last longer. but the words clung to the edge of her mouth and refused to cross.

as they neared the chamber doors, he stopped.

he turned towards her, the lights catching again at the fine line of his brow and the pale gleam in his eyes. his expression, though unchanged, had softened somewhat, not in emotion, but in recognition of her presence, her trepidation, her composure.

he bowed his head.

“you are safe now, my lady,” he said. “should you need anything, there are guards posted nearby. your handmaiden is close.”

she nodded, her heart stammering against her ribs.

“thank you,” she said gently, her voice scarcely above a whisper.

he stepped aside, allowing her to approach the door.

she turned once before it opened, the dim light from the panel casting a warm glow across her face.

“good night, padawan kenobi.”

his expression did not change, but he inclined his head once more.

“may your dreams be gentler, lady rharrellis.”

the door whispered open.

she stepped inside.

the room was dismal, unchanged from when she had left it. the overhead lights remained dim, the air cool from the climate control systems. across the room, ebos remained seated in her chair, still asleep, her figure folded gracefully in the low curve of the backrest, arms crossed, her long braid draped across her chest like a ribbon of shadow.

vasharre closed the door behind her, the sound so soft it might have been imagined.

her fingers lingered at the panel for a moment before she turned, her feet soundless as she crossed the room. she moved slowly, carefully, as if any sudden motion might betray her or wake her guardian. the memory of his voice still echoed in her ears, may your dreams be gentler, and she felt her face warm, though there was no one to see it.

she slid beneath the covers, the sheets were cool against her skin. her heart was still fluttering, soft and strange. she closed her eyes. and for the first time since they had left naboo, her mind was at peace.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

the celestial beings in orbit had aligned themselves with the living force.

outside the hull of the ship, the bright tunnel of hyperspace shuddered once, then fragmented, breaking apart in long splinters of color that faded into darkness. the gentle thrum of the drive systems quieted as the vessel emerged from hyperspace, its sleek frame gliding into the void beyond.

ahead, a large yellow planet hung in the stillness of space, its surface rough and weathered, the edges rimmed in scorched light.

tattooine.

dry, desolate, dangerous.

but untouched by the reach of the trade federation.

inside the ship, the crew moved with bustle, the jedi moved toward the command deck, the queen prepared for descent, and lady vasharre rharrellis stood behind her, poised and wordless, her dark eyes fixed on the sands rising beyond them.

[alexversenaberrie]

Saché ~ shy handmaiden of Amidala and heroine of the Naboo Resistance

Saché, Sashah Adova, served as one of the handmaidens of Amidala, Queen of Naboo. She started as shy girl, who became one of the bravest people of Naboo.

During the Invasion of Naboo, Saché and Yané remained behind as her sovereign and the other handmaidens fled Naboo. Whilst she remained on Naboo, Saché carried messages for a resistance group until she was caught by droids and subject to interrogation by the Trade Federation. It was symbolised on the painting by various elemements. She holds datapad. There are: sword of Naboo Royal Security Forces, Naboo royal pistol, Trade Federation fleet and droids, Gungan energy shield, blue boomer and N-1 starfighter)

She was also a wise person, which is symbolised by a statue of Naboo philosophers.

The Royal Security Forces repaid Saché's bravery with loyalty second only to Amidala. When Amidala's term as queen ended, Saché was accepted into the planetary legislative assembly. She grew to be a wise person, which is symbolised by a statue of Naboo philosophers behind the lady.

Saché also moved into a home with Yané, who is shown at globe-hologram. Later, they became married.

Saché became an influential member of Queen Réillata's government and, when Governor Sio Bibble finally retired following Amidala's death, Saché was the favorite to succeed him. However, under self-proclaimed Galactic Emperor, the election was suspended. It did not stop her to fight what was right.

The painter decided to shown her in a elegant dress, which is said that she wore during the Imperial War and with the Royal Palace in the background and Naboo royal crest on the column on the right.

#star wars paintings  |  SW Paintings | #star wars handmaidens

Handmaidens: Yané I Sabé | Eirtaé | Motté | Ellé | Versé

[alfredsmanor]

This Ain’t Podracing

Anakin deftly spun the Vulture droid he was remote-controlling to target the last of the Naboo fighters. Once this one was dead, the threat to the droid control ship was over. Mom would kill the Jedi, the droid army would take care of the Naboo royal guard, the Trade Federation would win, Master Sidious would be pleased, and they could all go home. The Naboo pilots were good, and would have been more than a match for the vulture droid’s programming, but the Force was Anakin’s servant and no force-blind pilot could ever stand against him. “Now this is Podracing!”, the boy gloated, as he prepared to fire the droid’s quad laser canons. 

“The hell it is, you little runt!” The voice was coming from outside the simulator cockpit and Anakin couldn’t see the source. Anakin twitched, and his shot went wild.

Two unseen hands grabbed Anakin and lifted the boy bodily out of the sim-pit. 

“Ow, hey, hey, let me go!” screamed Anakin, as he thrashed around. He shook his head hard enough to get his helmet off and looked up at the grown-up who was holding him. His assailant was a man who looked younger than Mom, with brownish blond hair cut into the worst haircut Anakin had ever seen and a padawan braid trailing down over his right shoulder. 

The young man tried to adjust his grip on Anakin to hold him more securely by putting his arms through Anakin’s underarms and holding the boy against his chest. But Anakin kicked backwards and managed to kick the padawan right in the balls. 

“Owwww, fuck, that hurt, you little shit”, the Jedi gasped, as he let Anakin go and doubled over to clutch his family jewels. 

Anakin rolled away like Mom had taught him, drew his training saber, and ignited it with a snap-hiss. It sprung into magenta life as Anakin shifted into the Form I stance Anakin had been practicing for half his life. 

The trainee Jedi didn’t draw and ignite his own saber,  just sighed, got up, and held his hands low at his hips, palms turned out towards Anakin, and spoke. “I can sense that that’s a training saber kid. I really don’t want to hurt an eight year old, so why don’t you put that thing down and come with me peacefully.” 

Anakin had only contempt for Jedi weakness, and scoffed “Or I could kill you and take your crystal to make my first REAL lightsaber… And I’m ten NOT eight!” He stamped his foot for emphasis, attempting to convey a proper Sithly air of angry contempt.

The padawan sighed again, and drew and activated his own weapon, a blue one. He adopted an Ataru opening stance that Anakin had seen demonstrated by Mom and Master Sidious. Anakin hadn’t been able to replicate that move successfully yet.

Anakin remembered the time just after he and Mom arrived on Coruscant. Master Sidious gave him a huge bag of gummy worms and six year old Anakin promptly ate the whole bag at once. After that his stomach hurt and he ended up throwing up all of the worms. Threatening to kill this senior padawan was probably the same sort of mistake. Oops.

Anakin threw his training saber at the Jedi, who promptly swatted it away with his own blade. But that distraction gave Anakin the time he needed to run out of the sim bay and into the pilot’s ready room. 

[ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask]

Star Wars Prequels Thoughts

Okay, as requested by @rainintheevening (or more accurately, as forced upon you all by myself), here are my thoughts on the Prequels.

Now I want to preface by saying this - I love Star Wars, I love all of the Star Wars films, and I am far from a Prequels hater. However, I think that there are a few things that could have been done differently to make the franchise as a whole better. This whole thing came up from my wish that Star Wars had been made so that you could watch from Episode I on and not miss anything, as opposed to the way that the Prequels we have are built on the shoulders of the OT. Anyhow.

The first major change that I would make is this: the movies would have focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi as the main character far above any other character. Anakin would have been a sidekick in the Obi-Wan story. We would have started and ended with Obi Kenobi.

TPM -

Phantom would almost entirely follow the plot that is already established. The big change, though, is that instead of Anakin Skywalker being a little junkyard rat from Tatooine, he is already a Jedi padawan. 

So here's the shot - at the start of the film, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his former padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, now a full-fledged Jedi knight, go to negotiate with the Trade Federation that has blockaded Naboo. Each of these Jedi has a padawan of his own - Jinn's is the young, brash, Anakin Skywalker. Kenobi's padawan is more mild-mannered and force-attuned. Let's call him Bob Dirtswimmer for the sake of clarity. Kenobi's fiery impulsiveness is played up to a big extent - he's brash, doesn't think things through before doing them, and he negotiates exclusively with his lightsaber. Jinn is more calm and level-headed. Their respective padawans both get along better with the other master, which causes some friction.

Like I said, the plot pretty well follows what already exists – the Trade Federation doesn’t want to comply, the Jedi are forced to ally with first Jar Jar, and rescue Queen Amidala. They escape the planet but are forced to land on the desert planet Tatooine, where they are befriended by a young moisture farmer named Owen. Owen hates Tatooine, hates moisture farming, and he hates how bored he is in life. All he wants is to escape the planet with his girlfriend Beru and become a pilot. While Kenobi and Jinn try to negotiate for parts to repair their ship, Anakin and Owen become fast friends, spurred on by their similar distaste for boredom and the ‘sedentary’ lifestyle that is being pushed on them by their respective mentors (Cliegg pushing Owen to join him as a moisture farmer, Qui-Gon pushing Anakin to be more mindful of the living Force instead of so action-oriented). Dirtswimmer tries to get along with them, but he feels excluded because he is far less inclined to join in on the action of things.

They eventually manage to secure the parts with the help of Owen. As repayment, they allow him and Beru to join them. He immediately and happily settles into the cockpit and gets some flying lessons from the Queen’s royal pilots. On the way to Coruscant to plead for Naboo’s case, we see Anakin begin to grow close to one of the queen’s handmaidens. Then we get the bit where Palpatine, the senator from Naboo, begins pushing Chancellor Valorum to raise an army to fight the Trade Federation’s unjust claims. Dirtswimmer remains on Coruscant to help Palpatine rally support for Naboo while the other Jedi return with the queen to retake the planet. Anakin and Owen fly together against the control ship because they are both skilled pilots, leaving Kenobi and Jinn to face off against Maul.

Now, since Qui-Gon is a bye-gone, Kenobi takes Anakin on as his second apprentice, teaching him at the same time as Dirtswimmer. At the end of the film, Palpatine talks to Dirtswimmer around Jinn’s funeral and mentions how disappointing it is that the Jedi with whom he really connected was now gone, leaving him to be the third wheel in the Obi-Ani Show.

AotC - We're going to get into some big changes that will be important, so keep track of this stuff.

Side note: Master Yoda is often referred to, but never seen. He is described as being the greatest warrior of the entire Jedi Order, but he has abandoned it because he believes that the Order has lost its way.

Again, we follow the same vague film plot - it begins with Naboo's new Junior Senator, Padme Amidala. She and Palpatine, the Senior Senator, are on Coruscant to debate the creation of a clone army for the republic. Palpatine represents the Nabooian populace that is in favor of the law - which is a significant portion, considering the Republic’s failure to assist them when they were being attacked years before - while Padme represents the minority who believe that such an act would be inhumane and lead to dictatorship. 

There have been many threats against anyone who opposes the law, so three Jedi are assigned to protect Amidala - Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Bob. There is a brief moment of happiness when they reunite, and Anakin and Padme almost immediately get going with the flirtation once again - something that Dirtswimmer sees is inappropriate, but Kenobi brushes off as unimportant. That night, there is an attempt on Amidala's life. The Jedi manage to protect the Senator and Anakin and Obi-Wan immediately set off after the would-be assassin while Dirtswimmer notices a second assassin following behind. Just as they capture the first accomplice, Dirtswimmer attacks the second - a Mandalorian. Mando and Dirtswimmer engage in a brief fight but Mando manages to knock Dirtswimmer off of him, hits the first accomplice with a poison dart, and escapes.

With this information, the trio of Jedi splits. Anakin is ordered to accompany Padme back to Naboo for her protection, Dirtswimmer is to work with Senator Palpatine to investigate who in the Senate is responsible for these attacks, and Obi-Wan is assigned to investigate the Mando alongside another Jedi Knight - Siri Tachi, with whom he clearly has history.

Padme is initially against the idea of leaving, but Palpatine manages to talk her into going for her protection and assures her that he will recall her before the vote takes place. On Naboo, Anakin and Padme get swept up in their whirlwind romance and whatnot. Owen and Beru accompany them with Owen as the pilot of their ship.

While they are doing that, Bob is pulled aside by our good 'ole boy Sheev. He is acting as Padme's advisor and is a good friend to her, and he notices that Bob is being ignored by Anakin and that when they are together with Kenobi, his opinions are often rejected in favor of the more aggressive attitudes of Kenobi and Skywalker. Slowly and insidiously, Sheephen begins to convince Dirtswimmer that he is the more powerful Force user and that his powers are not being appreciated.

Meanwhile, Obi-Kenobi and Siri are looking for Mando. As they investigate, they share some romantic tension as well. Eventually they track Mando to Kamino where they find the clone army has already been constructed on the orders of the current Supreme Chancellor. They make contact with Jango Fett, a civilian contractor who was hired to be the clone template. While talking to him they are attacked by Mando, who has come to plant bombs in the cloning facilities. Fett earns their trust by fighting Mando alongside them and disabling the bombs himself.

After the battle, Kenobi and Tachi follow Mando to Geonosis. There, they find that a massive droid army has been produced with the intent of waging war against the Republic. They are captured and separated, and Dooku appears to attempt to turn Kenobi to his side. The conversation goes about as well as it does in canon.

Dirtswimmer contacts Anakin to inform him that the Supreme Chancellor has been voted out of office because he ordered the clone army without the consent of the Senate, and Palpatine has already won the vote to take his place in a landslide. He also mentions that they have lost contact with Obi-Wan. Anakin and Dirtswimmer agree that this is bad news, so Anakin and Padme go to Geonosis to try to find them (where they get captured) while Dirtswimmer is convinced by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to talk the Jedi Council into leading the Republic’s new army in a battle against the massive droid factories that Obi-Wan reported on.

The Council reflects for a while, and someone mentions that they wish Master Yoda had not left the Order because he, being one of the greatest and most powerful Jedi Warriors, would have known what to do. Finally they refuse the advice to take the army. We get an inkling that Jedi are somewhat vain - they say things like “The Jedi order has protected the Republic for millennia, we will do so now.” Instead of taking the Clone Army, a relatively small task force of Jedi is sent instead.

The arena scene happens normally, from the gladiator fights to the Jedi being outnumbered in the middle of the arena and surrounded by SBDs. Then, suddenly, Bob shows up to save the day along with the Clone Army. He obviously rejected the Council's decision in favor of trusting Palpatine, which seems to have been the proper call.

Obi-Wan and Anakin are honestly appreciative of Dirtswimmer for the first time. While he stays behind to  coordinate the clone attack, Skywalker and Kenobi chase down Dooku. When they get to the staging area where Dooku plans to escape, Kenobi is suddenly confronted by Siri Tachi, who has taken the Sith's side. She immediately knocks Anakin to the side, then says that Dooku has already fled and tries to convince Kenobi to join her. She makes several good points about the corruption of the Republic and also saying that they would be able to be together if they left the Jedi Order in her plea and Obi-Wan is tempted, but finally refuses. Tachi gives him the “if you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy,” line and they duel, ending with Kenobi being forced to kill his lady love. It is very emotional. 

Bob and the other Jedi lead the clone army to victory.

The end of the film shows Anakin and Padme marrying in a private ceremony, Kenobi mourning Tachi, and Dirtswimmer and Sheephen counseling each other even more.

RotS - Buckle up buttercups, we're going down the rabbit hole now.

Starts with the attack on Coruscant and the A-Team rescuing Sheephen from Dooku. When they get aboard the Invisible Hand Kenobi is distracted by Grievous, leaving Anakin and Bob to fight Dooku together. While Anakin is a good match for Dooku in terms of dueling prowess, Dirtswimmer is very clearly out of his depth. Still, when Dooku knocks Anakin back and makes a move to execute Palpatine, Dirtswimmer manages to leap forward and kill the Sith Lord instead. Anakin is clearly upset that his fellow Jedi - who isn’t nearly as skilled with a saber as he - managed to get the kill, whereas Bob is getting pretty cocky about what he managed to do.

So they land, get celebrated, blah blah blah. Anakin is starting to have nightmares but, even though this version of the Jedi Order is a lot more lax with relationships, he can’t exactly go to any of his fellow Jedi for help because his marriage is still technically a no-no (even though several Jedi like Aayla Secura and Kit Fisto are shown to have developed ‘secret’ relationships like.) As a result, he starts speaking with Palpatine since the man is a close friend of Padme’s.

So, in a few shots to show how the war is progressing we are shown that 1) the Jedi are becoming more and more aggressive in their combat styles, and 2) there is a squad of bounty hunters led by the elusive Mandalorian from the previous film that is proving very effective against Jedi. At one point we get a shot of Aayla being ambushed and killed by this squad so we know they mean business.

There are many mentions that "I wish the great warrior Master Yoda were here to lead us" but again, he does not appear.

At the same time as all this, Jango Fett is the key liaison between the clone army and the Senate. He is a GoodGuy(™) trusted by both the Jedi and the senate.

The film follows most of its plot, with the addition of Sheev influencing both Anakin and Bob at this point - Bob through his feelings of rejection by his master and fellow former padawan, Anakin through his pride and fear of losing Padme (that way we can still get some good "tragedy of Darth Plageuis the Wise" action in here). Obi-Wan is sent out to finish off Grievous. Instead of Anakin, Palpatine wants Bob to be planted on the Council as his liaison with the Jedi. When Obi-Wan leaves he secretly tells Anakin to keep an eye on Dirtswimmer because he’s afraid of the influence that Palpatine is exerting over him.

The Jedi Order realizes that the Chancellor is the second Sith and they send The Squad to kill him. This time, though, Sheev doesn't fight (because there's nothing wrong with a powerful force user not being able to also duel with lightsabers.) Instead, Mando and his squad are there to protect Palpatine. The Jedi immediately attack and start picking them off one-by-one, but both Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin are eventually killed.

Finally it's just Kit Fisto and Mace Windu back-to-back fighting the rest of the squad. Fisto sees a chance to kill Mando (who he has been hunting, since Mando is the one who killed his lover Secura). Kit smashes Mando against the wall and is about to murderize him when the helmet comes off and he sees that Mando is Jango Fett. In Fisto's moment of confusion, Fett manages to stab him with a vibro blade. Windu kills Fett, but Palpatine uses his Force lightning to kill Windu. A real paper-beats-rock-beats-scissors moment.

Interspersed with this duel is Kenobi's attack on Grievous. Kenobi is clearly taking out all of his negative emotions from the past few years on the cyborg, who seems to be enjoying it at first because he thinks he stands a chance. Eventually, though, it becomes clear that Grievous is outmatched. Kenobi kills him somewhat brutally. Maybe reminiscent of that CGI cutscene version of Grievous’s death.

Meanwhile, Bob arrives at Palpatine’s office just after Windu’s death and reveals that he was part of the plan all along and has become Palpatine’s new apprentice. Sheephen tells Bob to go to Mustafar to destroy the Separatist leadership (which was sent there by Grievous when Kenobi first attacked) in order to end the war.

Anakin watches this interaction from a distance. He sends a communication to Obi-Wan to warn him that Palpatine is the Sith and that Bob is going to Mustafar on his orders. Obi-Wan starts to tell Anakin to wait for his return when suddenly Palpatine gives the big "The time has come, Commander" speech, and Obi-Kenobi gets blasted out of the sky by Cody.

We get the Order 66 sequence which is largely unchanged. Owen helps Kenobi escape and together they fly away, clones everywhere are turning on and killing their Jedi leaders. Meanwhile, Anakin leaves his extremely pregnant wife on Coruscant, promising, "I'm doing this for us," and takes off after Bob.

Bob and Anakin arrive on Mustafar at the same time, where they find the Separatist leaders already massacred by their own droid armies. Anakin acts completely surprised by this, but Bob just starts laughing and says, "I thought they were my final test, but I was wrong. It’s you." He ignites his lightsaber and says, "Only one of us is leaving this place alive."

Cue massive lightsaber battle. Anakin and Bob are jumping all over crap, lava is everywhere, the whole nine. Obi and Owen arrive on the planet just in time to see both padawans fling themselves at each other over a lava river, and both of them seemingly fall in. They try to fly their ship down to rescue Anakin, since it is clear that Bob has turned to the dark side. Before they can, though, a Star Destroyer arrives in-system and they have to run away.

Obi pretty much breaks down. He has lost his master, killed his girlfriend, lost a padawan to the dark side and just watched that fallen Jedi kill his favorite padawan. Owen is also seen with tears on his face because Anakin was one of his best friends.

Kenobi and Owen meet up with Bail Organa, who has secreted Padme away to his fancy moon-based hospital where she is dying in childbirth. Kenobi (who figured out a long time ago that she and Anakin were married but didn't do anything about it) can't bring himself to tell her that Anakin is dead and instead promises that he is on his way and will be there soon. She dies with a smile on her face talking about how Ani is her hero, and Kenobi breaks down big time.

Meanwhile, Palpatine is on Mustafar and a scarred figure drags itself out of the lava river. The person is too disfigured to recognize, but Palpatine is pleased and collects them. They are then sealed into the Vader suit, and Palpatine tells them, "You have finally earned your place at my side. Rise, Darth Vader." We get the dramatic shot of the full Vader suit stepping out of the shadows, with the implication being that Bob is the one inside because he was the one who wanted to join Palps.

Organa and his wife take Leia because they have just suffered a miscarriage that no one knows about, so it will be easy to protect her as their child. Owen offers to take Luke and he and Beru return to Tatooine - the place that he most hates - in order to protect Luke from Bob and the Emperor. Though Kenobi accompanies Owen to protect Luke, there is now a level of animosity between them because they both blame Obi-Wan for Anakin's death.

The episode ends with Owen and Beru holding Luke and watching Tatooine's twin sunset.

-

So. All of that being said. The big reason why I think that the Prequels would be better for these changes is this: I want all of Star Wars to be centered around the big reveal that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. The Phantom Menace was written with the idea that everybody already knew - I think that it would have been a lot more fun if we got three whole movies that led you to believe that Anakin Skywalker was dead and gone. That Bob Dirtswimmer was in the suit, he had killed Luke’s father, and he was the evil one. Then, “No, I am your father,” would hit so much harder. I also think it would be more fun to have Yoda missing all the way through the Prequels but built up with the expectation of him being this incredible warrior because it builds into the twist in Empire - by the time we get there, we are expecting someone incredible. Even Master Windu was talking about what a great warrior this Yoda was… the fact that he is actually just a muppet with a great understanding of the Force would feel much more impactful.

So there we go. That’s the type of Prequel trilogy I would have wanted. If you actually managed to read all of this… you have my sincerest apologies.

[forceblinded]

@alootus

This might be a new low for Rein, but Arkken's left her no other option. The Royal Naboo Security Forces are of no help to her, citing regulation upon regulation as to why they can't provide her with the information she needs to track her target. She's not the type to bluff her way through these things — her actual work never quite asks that of her.

No matter which way she chooses to look at it ( whether it be through the eye of a pragmatist, a noble soul or a frightened child — all sides of herself at present ), she'd hoped to meet the Senator under different circumstances. Better circumstances, in fact.

As the double doors to her left slide open, opening up the pathway between the hall and the Senator's office, Rein rises and follows one of the guards inside. Once presented as 'Knight Vale' and left ( relatively ) alone, Rein bows just slightly — formally, but not stiffly. ❛ Senator Amidala. Thank you for making time to see me. ❜

[sw5w]

Either Choice Presents Great Danger... to Us All

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 00:23:57

[queer-starwars-bracket]

Queer Star Wars Characters (Round 4): Handmaiden battle

Saché | Identity: wlw | Media: Queen’s Trilogy/Darth Vader comics

Saché, born Sashah Adova, was the youngest of Queen Amidala’s handmaidens, recruited at only 12 years old. Her official role was that of page, where she could observe the happenings of the palace. Saché was often overlooked, and even as she became an adult she was often quiet and bottled up her feelings. When Padmé and her handmaidens escaped Naboo, Saché and Yané were left behind. They were put into internment camps with the rest of Naboo’s government. This forced confinement caused Saché and Yané to realize that their awkward feelings were mutual attraction. Caught transporting messages amongst the Naboo Royal Guard, she was tortured by the Trade Federation, giving her scars she would carry for the rest of her life.

After Pamdé’s term as queen, she joined Naboo’s legislative assembly. She also married Yané, and they lived in a large house with the children Yané would foster. When Sio Bibble retired as governor at the end of the Clone Wars, Saché was expected to succeed her. However, the new Emperor Palpatine appointed Quash Penaka as Moff, replacing most of the existing Naboo government. Unlike her wife, Saché joined the Amidalans, a group of Naboo led by Sabé who sought to avenge Padmé’s death. With the rest of the handmaidens, she held her own for a time in combat against Darth Vader. Despite the decimation of the group, Saché managed to survive, and when Sabé became an operative for Vader (long story), she joined her handmaidens once more to save Sabé. When Sabé was captured by Jul Tambor, the handmaidens allied themselves with Vader. When Vader and Sly Moore tried to turn them to the side of the Empire, they were unmoved. They managed to free Sabé, but she refused to leave with them and returned to Vader’s side. Crushed, Saché returned to her wife and tried to continue to live.

Sabé | Identity: bisexual | Media: Queen’s Trilogy/Darth Vader comics

Sabé, born Tsabin, was a member of a family of musicians who set their daughter on the same path. However, she was only skilled enough to ever have a supporting role and instead volunteered to be one of Queen Amidala’s handmaidens. She became Padmé’s most trusted operative, pretending to be the Queen during the Invasion of Naboo. After Padmé’s term as queen ended, she remained her operative and worked with Tonra, a member of Naboo’s security force, to attempt to free slaves on Tatooine. They eventually made contact with the White Suns, a Tatioone slave liberation movement. When the Clone Wars began, Sabé once again acted as Padmé’s decoy when Padmé was away from Coruscant conducting an investigation. There she learned Anakin and Padmé were married. However, to make sure Padmé didn’t have her closest confidant, Palpatine blasted Sabé’s brain with the Dark Side until she didn’t want to work closely with Padmé anymore. Sabé spent the rest of the war helping the White Suns.

After Padmé died, Sabé founded an organization known as the Amidalans- a rebel cell consisting of Naboo (including some of the other handmaidens), who sought to avenge Padmé. They attempted to assassinate Vader (who they deemed responsible) on multiple occasions. Sabé focused on deception, pretending to work with Vader to find Padmé’s killer and infiltrating Crimson Dawn. Until she figured out that Vader was Anakin. Remembering how Padmé’s last words (which had been recorded) was “There’s still good in [Anakin]”, she decided to actually become Vader’s operative. Her given reason was that the Empire and Vader did bring order to the galaxy, but it is just as likely she is following her queen’s last order to attempt to bring the man she loved back to the light. She remained by Vader’s side even when her fellow handmaidens came to “rescue” her. Her last appearance in the comics was Vader abandoning her on a beach until she could decide to fully commit to the Dark Side (emotionally speaking).

Sabé had crushes on a handful of people and even a romantic relationship with Tonra, but her most important was her romantic love for Padmé. These feelings were requited, with Queen’s Hope creating a love triangle where Sabé represented ideology and duty and Anakin was selfish love. As we know, Padmé chose Anakin, but a deciding factor was Sabé’s self esteem being temporarily shattered by Palpatine. Her wider moral view seems to have degraded after spending over two decades focusing on avenging Padmé instead of joining the wider Rebellion. However, even working for the Empire, she hasn’t gone completely evil yet- doing things like pretending to kill a bunch of refugees to gain their loyalty instead of actually killing them.

[starwarsultimateseriesproject]

star wars battlefront warfare online

star wars battlefront warfare online, the teen rated unreal first person/third person shooter game, that will feature all the contents from the star wars battlefront games & all the cancelled star wars battlefront games, but more content from every star wars media.

gameplay similar to all the previous star wars battlefront gameplay, but you can climb, you dash, you swap your any weapons, you swap your power abilities, you can able to pickup the weapons from the weapon carrying holder or the fallen solders or the ground.

hud will be different with the near slowing regeneration health bars & the near slowing shield health bars & the near slowing armor health bars.

characters customize: helmet/head, helmet/head paint, torso, torso paint, shoulder pad, shoulder pad paint, arms, arms paint, forearms, forearms paint, waist band, waist band paint, glove/hands, glove/hands paint, belt, hips, legs, knee pad, knee pad paint, forelegs, forelegs paint, boots/shoes, boots/shoes, logo/symbol, now color any armor pieces

single & coop mission between online mode & local mode.

rise of the Skywalker force the temple security force guard mission: battle of naboo grassfield to battle the battle droids along side with gungans to to hold them off to back to the naboo city, battle of naboo city to battle the battle droids along side with naboo guards to free the naboo city, battle of geonosis battle arena to battle the battle droids & geonosians along side with the jedi members & the republic troopers & the republic officers & the senate guards & the senate troopers to fight them back until the clone troopers arrive to save you all, battle of geonosis battlefield to battle the battle droids & geonosians along side with the jedi members & the republic troopers & the republic officers & senate guards & senate troopers to end the enemy base, battle of coruscant to battle the cis along side with the republic force & the clone troopers, battle of kashyyyk to battle the cis alone side with the republic force & the clone troopers & the wookies, battle of utapau to battle the cis alone side with the republic force & the clone, battle of abandoned mansion of naboo to battle the sith infection undead being to escape from the abandoned mansion, battle of the jedi temple coruscart to battle the 501 clone troopers to escape from the jedi temple, battle of republic city of naboo to battle the sith infection undead being to escape from the ruined republic city of naboo, battle of tattooine to battle the galactic empire to escape from the tattooine, battle of the death star battle the galatic empire to rescue princess leia to escape from the death star, battle of yavin 4 to battle the galactic empire along side with the rebel alliance to escape from the yavin 4, battle of hoth to battle the galactic empire along side with the rebel alliance to escape from hoth, battle of cloud city to battle the galactic empire along side with the cloud city alliance to escape from the cloud city, battle of endor to battle the galactic empire along side with the rebel alliance & the ewok to win the battle, battle of mustafar to battle the galactic empire along side with the new republic force, battle of jakku to battle the galactic empire along side with the new republic force, battle of jakku in sequel era to battle the first order to escape from jakku, battle of takodana to battle the first order along side with the resistance, battle of starkiller base to battle the first order along side with the resistance, battle of crait to battle the first order along side with the resistance to escape from the crait, battle of exegol to battle the final order along side with the resistance & their allies.

rise of the sith empire the story of grand elite squad of battle droids to Vader's elite of stormtroopers: battle the gungans at the naboo as the cis, battle the naboo royal guards at the naboo as the cis, battle the wookiees at the kashyyyk as the cis, battle the jedi officers & the temple security force guards at the jedi temple of coruscart as the cis along side with the 501 clone troopers, battle the royal naboo guards at naboo as the galactic empire, battle the cis space over mustafar as the galactic empire, battle the cis at mustafar as the galactic empire, battle the clone troopers at space over kamino as the galactic empire, battle the clone troopers at kamino as the galactic empire, battle the rebel alliance at tantive iv as the galactic empire, battle the rebel alliance at space over yavin 4 as the galactic empire, battle the rebel alliance at yavin 4 as the galactic empire, battle the rebel alliance at hoth as the galactic empire, battle the cloud city alliance at the cloud city as the galactic empire, battle the rebel alliance at endor as the galactic empire, mustafar to battle the new republic force at mustafar as the galactic empire, battle the new republic force at jakku as the galactic empire, battle the resistance at jakku in sequel as the first order, battle the resistance at takodana as the first order, battle the resistance at starkiller as the first order, battle the resistance at crait as the first order, battle the resistance at exegol as the final order.

"Star Wars Battlefront Warfare Online" is an epic Unreal engine-based first-person/third-person shooter game that offers an immersive experience for Star Wars fans, featuring content from all Star Wars Battlefront games, including the canceled ones, as well as additional content from various other Star Wars media.

The gameplay mechanics of "Star Wars Battlefront Warfare Online" build upon the foundation laid by previous Battlefront games, with added features such as climbing, dashing, weapon swapping, and the ability to pick up weapons from various sources, including fallen soldiers and weapon holders. Players can engage in intense battles across iconic Star Wars locations, utilizing a variety of weapons, power abilities, and tactics to outmaneuver and defeat their opponents.

The HUD is enhanced with near-slowing regeneration health bars, shield health bars, and armor health bars, providing players with crucial information about their status during battles.

In addition to the traditional single-player and multiplayer modes, "Star Wars Battlefront Warfare Online" introduces historical missions that allow players to experience key moments from the Star Wars saga. These missions include battles such as the Battle of Naboo, Battle of Geonosis, Battle of Coruscant, Battle of Hoth, Battle of Endor, and many more, spanning across different eras and locations in the Star Wars universe.

Players can customize their characters with a wide range of options, including helmets, armor pieces, weapons, and more, allowing for personalization and immersion in the Star Wars universe.

The game also features two distinct storylines: "Rise of the Skywalker Force" and "Rise of the Sith Empire." In the former, players assume the role of heroes like Jedi Knights and Republic troopers, battling against the forces of darkness to save the galaxy. In the latter, players take on the roles of villains like Sith Lords and Imperial stormtroopers, seeking to conquer and dominate the galaxy under the banner of the Sith Empire.

"Star Wars Battlefront Warfare Online" promises to deliver an action-packed and immersive experience for Star Wars fans, allowing them to engage in epic battles and relive iconic moments from the beloved franchise. With its extensive content, robust gameplay mechanics, and rich customization options, the game offers endless opportunities for players to enjoy the thrill of Star Wars warfare.

star wars battlefront warfare online, the Skywalker force mission.

rise of the Skywalker force the temple security force guard mission.

battle of naboo grassfield to battle the battle droids along side with gungans to to hold them off to back to the naboo city.

battle of naboo city to battle the battle droids along side with naboo guards to free the naboo city.

battle of geonosis battle arena to battle the battle droids & geonosians along side with the jedi members & the republic troopers & the republic officers & the senate guards & the senate troopers to fight them back until the clone troopers arrive to save you all.

battle of geonosis battlefield to battle the battle droids & geonosians along side with the jedi members & the republic troopers & the republic officers & senate guards & senate troopers to end the enemy base.

battle of coruscant to battle the cis along side with the republic force & the clone troopers, battle of kashyyyk to battle the cis alone side with the republic force & the clone troopers & the wookies.

battle of utapau to battle the cis alone side with the republic force & the clone, battle of abandoned mansion of naboo to battle the sith infection undead being to escape from the abandoned mansion.

battle of the jedi temple coruscart to battle the 501 clone troopers to escape from the jedi temple.

battle of republic city of naboo to battle the sith infection undead being to escape from the ruined republic city of naboo.

battle of tattooine to battle the galactic empire to escape from the tattooine.

battle of the death star battle the galatic empire to rescue princess leia to escape from the death star.

battle of yavin 4 to battle the galactic empire along side with the rebel alliance to escape from the yavin 4.

battle of hoth to battle the galactic empire along side with the rebel alliance to escape from hoth.

battle of cloud city to battle the galactic empire along side with the cloud city alliance to escape from the cloud city, battle of endor to battle the galactic empire along side with the rebel alliance & the ewok to win the battle.

battle of mustafar to battle the galactic empire along side with the new republic force.

battle of jakku in the original era to battle the galactic empire along side with the new republic force.

battle of jakku in sequel era to battle the first order to escape from jakku.

battle of takodana to battle the first order along side with the resistance.

battle of starkiller base to battle the first order along side with the resistance.

battle of crait to battle the first order along side with the resistance to escape from the crait.

battle of exegol to battle the final order along side with the resistance & their allies.

In "Star Wars Battlefront Warfare Online," the Skywalker Force Mission takes players on a thrilling journey across various iconic locations in the Star Wars galaxy. Here's an overview of the missions included in the rise of the Skywalker Force campaign:

Battle of Naboo Grassfield: Players join forces with Gungans to fend off invading battle droids in the grassfields of Naboo, protecting the city from enemy forces.

Battle of Naboo City: Engage in urban warfare as players battle alongside Naboo guards to liberate the city from occupation by enemy forces.

Battle of Geonosis Battle Arena: Fight in the arena against battle droids and Geonosians, supported by Jedi members, Republic troopers, and Senate guards, until reinforcements arrive.

Battle of Geonosis Battlefield: Push forward to eliminate the enemy base, facing fierce resistance from droids and Geonosian forces.

Battle of Coruscant: Defend Coruscant alongside the Republic forces and Clone Troopers against the invading CIS army.

Battle of Kashyyyk: Assist the Wookiees and Republic forces in repelling the CIS invasion on Kashyyyk.

Battle of Utapau: Engage in intense combat against the CIS forces on Utapau, supporting the Republic's efforts to secure the planet.

Battle of the Abandoned Mansion of Naboo: Confront Sith-infected undead beings and escape from the haunted mansion on Naboo.

Battle of the Jedi Temple Coruscant: Navigate through the besieged Jedi Temple, battling against 501st Clone Troopers to escape.

Battle of Republic City of Naboo: Fight against Sith-infected undead beings in the ruined Republic City and find a way to escape.

Battle of Tatooine: Break free from Imperial forces on Tatooine, rescuing Princess Leia from captivity.

Battle of the Death Star: Infiltrate the Death Star, battle against the Galactic Empire's forces, and rescue Princess Leia.

Battle of Yavin 4: Defend Yavin 4 alongside the Rebel Alliance against an Imperial assault, securing victory in the pivotal battle.

Battle of Hoth: Join the Rebel Alliance in the defense of Echo Base against the Imperial invasion on the icy planet of Hoth.

Battle of Cloud City: Assist the Cloud City Alliance in repelling Imperial forces and escaping from Cloud City.

Battle of Endor: Participate in the climactic battle on Endor, aiding the Rebel Alliance and Ewoks in defeating the Galactic Empire.

Battle of Mustafar: Support the New Republic forces in battling the remnants of the Galactic Empire on the volcanic planet of Mustafar.

Battle of Jakku (Original Era): Engage in combat on Jakku alongside the New Republic forces to secure victory over the remnants of the Galactic Empire.

Battle of Jakku (Sequel Era): Fight against the First Order on Jakku, aiding the Resistance in their struggle against the oppressive regime.

Battle of Takodana: Defend Takodana against a First Order assault alongside the Resistance.

Battle of Starkiller Base: Launch an assault on Starkiller Base, aiming to dismantle the First Order's superweapon.

Battle of Crait: Participate in the defense of Crait against the First Order, fighting alongside the Resistance to escape the planet.

Battle of Exegol: Unite with the Resistance and their allies to confront the Final Order and defeat Emperor Palpatine's forces on Exegol.

These missions offer diverse and challenging scenarios, allowing players to experience the epic battles and pivotal moments of the Skywalker Force's journey in the Star Wars universe.

star wars battlefront warfare online, the sith empire mission.

rise of the sith empire the story of grand elite squad of battle droids to Vader's elite of stormtroopers.

battle the gungans at the naboo as the cis.

battle the naboo royal guards at the naboo as the cis.

battle the wookiees at the kashyyyk as the cis.

battle the jedi officers & the temple security force guards at the jedi temple of coruscart as the cis along side with the 501 clone troopers.

battle the royal naboo guards at naboo as the galactic empire.

battle the cis space over mustafar as the galactic empire.

battle the cis at mustafar as the galactic empire.

battle the clone troopers at space over kamino as the galactic empire.

battle the clone troopers at kamino as the galactic empire.

battle the rebel alliance at tantive iv as the galactic empire.

battle the rebel alliance at space over yavin 4 as the galactic empire.

battle the rebel alliance at yavin 4 as the galactic empire, battle the rebel alliance at hoth as the galactic empire.

battle the cloud city alliance at the cloud city as the galactic empire,

battle the rebel alliance at endor as the galactic empire.

mustafar to battle the new republic force at mustafar as the galactic empire.

battle the new republic force at jakku in original as the galactic empire.

battle the resistance at jakku in sequel as the first order.

battle the resistance at takodana as the first order, battle the resistance at starkiller as the first order.

battle the resistance at crait as the first order, battle the resistance at exegol as the final order.

In "Star Wars Battlefront Warfare Online," the Sith Empire Mission offers players the chance to experience pivotal battles and conquests from the perspective of the Sith forces. Here's an overview of the missions included in the Rise of the Sith Empire campaign:

Battle of Naboo (Against Gungans): Engage in combat against the Gungans on Naboo, aiming to crush their resistance and assert Sith dominance over the planet.

Battle of Naboo (Against Royal Guards): Confront the Naboo Royal Guards and subdue their defenses as part of the Sith Empire's campaign to conquer Naboo.

Battle of Kashyyyk (Against Wookiees): Invade Kashyyyk and clash with the Wookiees, seeking to overwhelm them and secure control of the planet for the Sith Empire.

Battle of the Jedi Temple, Coruscant: Launch an assault on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, facing off against Jedi officers and Temple Security Force guards alongside 501st Clone Troopers.

Battle of Naboo (As Galactic Empire): Assume control of the Galactic Empire's forces and confront the Royal Naboo Guards, solidifying Imperial control over the planet.

Space Battle over Mustafar (As Galactic Empire): Engage in a space battle over Mustafar, fighting against CIS forces to establish Imperial supremacy in the region.

Ground Battle on Mustafar (As Galactic Empire): Descend to the surface of Mustafar and eliminate CIS resistance, securing the planet for the Galactic Empire.

Space Battle over Kamino (As Galactic Empire): Clash with Clone Troopers in a space battle over Kamino, aiming to cripple Republic defenses and assert Sith control.

Ground Battle on Kamino (As Galactic Empire): Launch a ground assault on Kamino, overwhelming Clone Troopers and securing the cloning facilities for the Sith Empire.

Battle at Tantive IV (As Galactic Empire): Board the Tantive IV and crush Rebel Alliance resistance, capturing or eliminating key targets to assert Imperial dominance.

Space Battle over Yavin 4 (As Galactic Empire): Engage in a space battle over Yavin 4, seeking to cripple Rebel Alliance forces and prevent their escape.

Ground Battle on Yavin 4 (As Galactic Empire): Land on Yavin 4 and confront Rebel Alliance troops on the ground, quelling their resistance and securing the planet.

Battle of Hoth (As Galactic Empire): Assault the Rebel Alliance base on Hoth, overwhelming their defenses and securing victory for the Sith Empire.

Battle of Cloud City (As Galactic Empire): Invade Cloud City and crush the Cloud City Alliance, asserting Sith control over the floating city.

Battle of Endor (As Galactic Empire): Participate in the Battle of Endor, fighting alongside Imperial forces to crush the Rebel Alliance and secure the Death Star.

Battle of Mustafar (As Galactic Empire): Defend Mustafar from New Republic forces, repelling their invasion and maintaining Sith control over the planet.

Battle of Jakku (Original Era, As Galactic Empire): Engage in combat on Jakku, attempting to eliminate New Republic forces and secure victory for the Sith Empire.

Battle of Jakku (Sequel Era, As First Order): Lead the First Order in a battle on Jakku, crushing Resistance forces and asserting dominance over the planet.

Battle of Takodana (As First Order): Attack Takodana and eliminate Resistance presence, securing the planet for the First Order.

Battle of Starkiller Base (As First Order): Defend Starkiller Base from Resistance attackers, ensuring the survival of the First Order's superweapon.

Battle of Crait (As First Order): Launch an assault on Crait, attempting to crush the Resistance and prevent their escape from the salt planet.

Battle of Exegol (As Final Order): Participate in the climactic battle on Exegol, fighting alongside the Final Order to crush the Resistance and establish Sith dominance over the galaxy.

These missions provide players with a diverse array of challenges and objectives as they experience the Sith Empire's rise to power across the galaxy.

[blenderbender1811]

@short-wooloo I kinda crack up when I remember the Darth Jar Jar meme when Jar Jar's the one who did the most in the Senate to help the Jedi in Operation Knightfall. Bail tried, bless him, but he couldn't actually save anyone in the Temple. Jar Jar deployed the Naboo Royal Security Forces and managed to get a couple out.

[jellomarsh]

Random Star Wars EU Troopers

Extra sprites I made while I was making relevant prequel-era characters for my lore series on Jango Fett

Top:

Alderaanian Royal Guard (based on the Tales comic First Impressions)

Alderaan Security Guard (based on Agent of the Empire: Hard Targets comic)

Royal Alderaan Civil Fleet (based on TCW design)

Ailon Nova Guard (based on art from Galaxy at War and the Imperial Handbook)

Korda Defense Force (based on the gorillas in Jango Fett: Open Seasons comic)

Bottom:

Royal Naboo Security Forces (from TPM)

Republic TSF Officer (not from KotOR, but from Jedi: The Dark Side comic)

Nimbus Commando (from The Battle of Jabiim comic story arc)

Jabiimi Nationalist (The Battle of Jabiim + In the Shadows of Their Fathers comic arc)

Jabiimi Loyalist (same as above)